appalling

adjective

ap·​pall·​ing ə-ˈpȯ-liŋ 

: inspiring horror, dismay, or disgust

living under appalling conditions

appalling savagery

appallingly adverb

Synonyms

• abhorrent
• abominable
• awful
• disgusting
• distasteful
• dreadful
• evil
• foul
• fulsome
• gross
• hideous
• horrendous
• horrible
• horrid
• loathsome
• nasty
• nauseating
• nauseous
• noisome
• noxious
• obnoxious
• obscene
• odious
• offensive
• rancid
• repellent
• repellant
• repugnant
• repulsive
• revolting
• scandalous
• shocking
• sickening
• ugly

Examples of appalling in a Sentence

We drove by an appalling accident on the highway.

opening your mouth to show me your half-chewed food is absolutely appalling

Recent Examples on the Web

But the program was to largely revolve around the appalling situation in New Orleans 60 years ago this past January. —Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2025

The war is thought to have killed an appalling six hundred and twenty thousand people, from a population of twenty-two million. —Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025

Around the grounds: ‘Worst team in Man Utd history’, Foden in form, Real top La Liga A few notes from a lively weekend, in the Premier League and beyond: Ruben Amorim sucked up a 3-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion and another appalling error by goalkeeper Andre Onana. —Phil Hay, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025

These evils are sensational and appalling, and there’s an impulse to perceive them as existing outside of our realities, perpetrated by people who aren’t like us. —Billy J. Stratton, The Conversation, 17 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of appall

First Known Use

1635, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

appalling

adjective

ap·​pall·​ing

ə-ˈpȯl-iŋ

: inspiring horror or dismay : shocking

appallingly adverb