appalled

adjective

ap·​palled ə-ˈpȯld 

: affected by strong feelings of shock and dismay

… the Allied commanders were appalled to learn that 300 glider troops had drowned at sea.

—Kathleen McAuliffe

I was amazed, impressed, appalled, touched, embarrassed. Most of all, I was mad as hell.

—Ken Kesey

Straightway, he now goes on to make a full confession; whereupon the mariners became more and more appalled …

—Herman Melville

Examples of appalled in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When Burrell wasn’t tapped to join the show’s 28th season in January — after playing a central role in the first 27 — viewers were appalled and even Burrell was baffled. —Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 18 June 2025

There was an appalled silence broken at last by Wells. —Robeson Bailey, Outdoor Life, 11 June 2025

Phaedra is the most appalled, especially at the $250 CashApp, saying the donation should’ve been at a minimum of $1,000, considering the lifestyle Brit leads. —Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 9 June 2025

What sets even Milosz’s early poems of exile and displacement apart is his talent for burying an appalled stringency beneath sentimental guff. —William Logan, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of appall

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for appalled

• overhauled
• reinstalled
• auld
• bald
• balled
• bawled
• called
• crawled
• drawled
• galled
• hauled
• lolled