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Definition of appalling

appalling

/əˈpɔː.lɪŋ/
ap · pal · ling
Adverb:appallingly
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appalling Lexical Profile

appalling Game Scores & Validity

• adjective

1

Causing shock, dismay, or horror; morally or emotionally repugnant.

Example

"The documentary exposed the appalling living conditions inside the overcrowded facility."

2

Extremely bad, unpleasant, or of remarkably poor quality.

Example

"The team delivered an appalling performance in the second half of the tournament."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for appalling
Antonyms
View all antonyms for appalling

• Rhymes for appalling

• Nearby Words

appalachian
appalachians
appall
appalling
appallingly
apparatus
apparel

Word Origin & Etymology

Derived from the verb 'appall', which comes from Old French 'apalir' (to grow pale), ultimately from Latin 'ad-' (to) and 'pallere' (to be pale), originally referring to a shock severe enough to make a person lose color.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Appalling. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/appalling
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