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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of appalling
David Frum, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
The symbols that were represented are antisemitic and hateful to every person of conscience; this appalling act violated our sense of community and solidarity.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 3 June 2026
Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
Of all the recent poster boys for appalling misbehavior by the State Police, Michael Proctor would of course rank number one.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for appalling
Adjective
The only thing comparable is the immediate aftermath of the First World War, when, again, there was a lot of turnover and changes in the party system as Britain tried to digest that appalling crisis.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
The symbols that were represented are antisemitic and hateful to every person of conscience; this appalling act violated our sense of community and solidarity.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 3 June 2026
Verb
The young Forster recoiled from the school’s culture of authoritarianism and militaristic chauvinism, which may have found expression in the students’ often appalling attitudes toward their own mothers.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
Of all the recent poster boys for appalling misbehavior by the State Police, Michael Proctor would of course rank number one.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for appalling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for appalling
Adjective
-
Get a room, this is disgusting!—
Daniela Avila,
PEOPLE,
17 June 2026
-
And, to me, there’s nothing more disgusting than an airplane bathroom.—
Carita Rizzo,
Deadline,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
What should have been a night of celebration and community reflection for Juneteenth was shattered by a horrific act of violence.—
Kelsie Cairns,
FOXNews.com,
22 June 2026
-
First of all, the suffering of the Iranian people has been horrific in the context of this unnecessary conflict.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 June 2026
Verb
-
Ladeira uses a mister to spray the plate with housemade rose vinegar to give a whiff of funky brightness without shocking the palate.—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
-
This sweeping novel opens in nineteen-sixties Calcutta, when a three-year-old girl demands to eat fish, shocking her family of Jains.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
But their pitching staff has been disappointing to awful, and there's little help coming from the farm system.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2026
-
In fact, this version of Louis sounds an awful lot like Lestat.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
The historic victory, the nation’s first ever in the World Cup, was overshadowed when the midfielder injured his leg in gruesome fashion following a clumsy challenge from Qatar’s Assim Madibo.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
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Men In Blazers Canada’s first-ever World Cup victory, a 6-0 demolition derby of Qatar, was overshadowed yesterday by a gruesome leg injury suffered by midfield maestro Ismaël Koné.—
Mark Hodge,
NBC news,
19 June 2026
Verb
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Following her rescue, horrifying details of what happened to Jaycee began to emerge.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
10 June 2026
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The complications are horrifying doctors.—
Sara Moniuszko,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Iran’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad World Cup got a lot better Sunday.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
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What started as a horrible mistake ended up bringing the community together.—
Andrea Nakano,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
This is Conolly’s Folly, built in 1740 at the height of a terrible famine.—
Amelia Soth,
JSTOR Daily,
18 June 2026
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The heroes who save us from these awful, terrible music haters do so with force.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Appalling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/appalling. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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