variants
also appal
as in to terrify
to cause an unpleasant surprise for
conditions inside the house overrun with cats simply appalled animal control officers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of appall
Spielberg imagined it as a noise that has the power to appall.
—
David Denby, Vulture, 3 July 2025
Still, there is plenty here that should appall both Democrats and Republicans.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
Dismay or appall you, sure, but never surprise you.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024
That kind of appalls me to think that people need not expect that of themselves.
—David Marchese Photograph By Mamadi Doumbouya, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2024
What appalls him now is a lack of accountability in Netanyahu’s government.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2024
Kunzig: Alejandra, the weather this year kept finding fresh ways to appall us.
—Susan Goldberg, National Geographic, 9 Dec. 2021
The whiteness of the fantasy village will appall some — including, presumably, those who protested Gelman’s leadership of The Wing, that women-only co-working operation whose own workforce was notoriously segregated by race.
—Grace Lavery, Curbed, 20 Apr. 2022
Are there some whose only aim is to appall and disturb?
—Mark Shanahan, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Dec. 2022
David Denby, Vulture, 3 July 2025
Still, there is plenty here that should appall both Democrats and Republicans.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
Dismay or appall you, sure, but never surprise you.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024
That kind of appalls me to think that people need not expect that of themselves.
—David Marchese Photograph By Mamadi Doumbouya, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2024
What appalls him now is a lack of accountability in Netanyahu’s government.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2024
Kunzig: Alejandra, the weather this year kept finding fresh ways to appall us.
—Susan Goldberg, National Geographic, 9 Dec. 2021
The whiteness of the fantasy village will appall some — including, presumably, those who protested Gelman’s leadership of The Wing, that women-only co-working operation whose own workforce was notoriously segregated by race.
—Grace Lavery, Curbed, 20 Apr. 2022
Are there some whose only aim is to appall and disturb?
—Mark Shanahan, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Dec. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for appall
Verb
-
The trauma of the killings left her terrified to close her eyes and sleeping in her mom’s bed for reassurance no one would harm her.—
Rachel Roberts,
Idaho Statesman,
24 July 2025
-
Chuck Schumer is terrified, but that's the reality of where Democrats are today.—
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 July 2025
Verb
-
Just like the song’s deceptively sweet sound, the Aguascalientes artist brings a quiet strength to her work, one that doesn’t scream but leaves you floored nonetheless.—
Tere Aguilera,
Billboard,
30 July 2025
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Based on those facts, a Yankees fan might be floored by their favorite team's interest in such a player.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 July 2025
Verb
-
Stink bugs tend to drop when frightened, so fill a cup with soapy water and hold it under the stink bug.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
19 July 2025
-
What starts as a simple favor to keep her great-niece turns into a wild Halloween night filled with jump scares and pranks — but as usual, nothing frightens her more than bad manners and disrespect. Boo 2!—
Jane LaCroix,
People.com,
13 July 2025
Verb
-
There’s a thread of carbolic soap, though not enough to scare away those even moderately familiar with smoky Islay Scotch.—
David Thomas Tao,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
-
Officials used horns, sirens and lights to scare the dogs away from Culbertson, according to KC Pet Project documents obtained by The Star.—
Noelle Alviz-Gransee,
Kansas City Star,
22 July 2025
Verb
-
News of his death shocked the music industry, who paid tribute through the day.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
30 July 2025
-
John Cena turning heel, meaning changing from a good to bad character, shocked the WWE Universe like nothing that had come before it and even reverberated throughout the sports and pop culture world at large.—
Skyler Trepel,
People.com,
30 July 2025
Verb
-
Many Americans are demonstrably disgusted, shamed, and angered by their tyrants, but mainstream literary and intellectual institutions seem unable or unwilling to give voice to them.—
Pankaj Mishra,
Harpers Magazine,
16 July 2025
-
Interestingly enough, by 1920 Jarvis was disgusted with how commercialized Mother's Day had become.—
Grace Tucker,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Verb
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Israel’s brutal military assault on Gaza has horrified the world for more than 21 months now, but this latest phase of the genocide—extermination through mass starvation—is a grim new nadir.—
Dan Sheehan,
Literary Hub,
24 July 2025
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The crime horrified the city, which hadn’t seen a homicide in about five years, and prompted a massive search for the perpetrator.—
Rebecca Boone,
Chicago Tribune,
23 July 2025
Verb
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The alchemist, offended, replies, my job was the engineering, not the economics.—
Michael Lynch,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
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President Donald Trump has already silenced ABC, CBS, and Facebook, extorting millions of dollars from them for offending him.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Appall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/appall. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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