1
as in disgusting
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment
opening your mouth to show me your half-chewed food is absolutely appalling
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent
appalling crimes against humanity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in shocking
to cause an unpleasant surprise for
conditions inside the house overrun with cats simply appalled animal control officers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of appalling
Marc Champion, Twin Cities, 14 Aug. 2025
Every day the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens and hostages taken by Hamas are being held in appalling and inhuman conditions.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Aug. 2025
Inviting oneself on an anniversary trip is already appalling.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 8 Aug. 2025
But the latest hostage videos, showing emaciated captives in a, frankly, appalling state have provoked shock and outrage across Israel.
—Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for appalling
Adjective
The implications for Gaza and its residents are appalling.
—Marc Champion, Twin Cities, 14 Aug. 2025
Every day the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens and hostages taken by Hamas are being held in appalling and inhuman conditions.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Aug. 2025
Inviting oneself on an anniversary trip is already appalling.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 8 Aug. 2025
But the latest hostage videos, showing emaciated captives in a, frankly, appalling state have provoked shock and outrage across Israel.
—Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for appalling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for appalling
Adjective
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And putting it on her fingers and in your babies mouth is disgusting.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
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Because there are more aliens aboard the Maginot than just a Xenomorph, Hawley adds a few new wrinkles to the usual disgusting Alien progression of face-hugger to chest-burster.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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An initial report of a paralyzed kitten being thrown down a staircase led police in Northern Ohio to a home where officers reported finding 13 young children living in horrific conditions.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
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But, really, does enough training exist that would prepare anyone for such a horrific emergency?—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The chemistry between Johnson & Blunt is genuine & touching, elevating the drama w/ shocking emotional depth.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
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This is shocking rhetoric even in 2025, when the far right has embraced race science and the federal government could be mistaken for pursuing the aims of the Proud Boys.—
Ali Breland,
The Atlantic,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But for the rest of us mere mortals, the idea of stepping into an ice bath for 10 minutes a day is awful.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
3 Sep. 2025
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And then these families are in this awful position.—
Elizabeth B. Kim,
The Enquirer,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Gonzalez-Rasalas was charged with murder, desecrating a body and auto theft in a gruesome 2023 Easter Sunday homicide.—
Julia Coin,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Sep. 2025
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At the time, and in the next nearly two years, the Kansas City region also experienced the gruesome abuse and neglect deaths of three children ages 4 to 6, including one boy who fell from a 17th floor apartment window in November 2023.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But that spring, my mental health wasn’t in a good place thanks to the volatile combination of two years of pandemic lockdown, switching my antidepressants, my undiagnosed ADHD and a horrible case of writer's block.—
Alison Cochrun,
People.com,
31 Aug. 2025
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The Succession Wars took a much darker turn thanks to the development of not just Battlemechs but of horrible flesh and steel monsters called abominations.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Overall, this wasn’t a terrible episode, but having our heroes start in the UK and then end up in Spain in the first episode felt rushed and wasteful.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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Both men are good, both men are bad and both men have made terrible mistakes.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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One newspaper here calling the summit, sickening, shameful, and, in the end, useless.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Aug. 2025
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The practice is one of a sickening array of battlefield mistreatments recorded on video either by Ukrainian surveillance drones or Russian servicemen and then circulated on social media.—
Andrew Carey,
CNN Money,
28 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Appalling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/appalling. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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