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
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Recent Examples of appall
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
These attacks weren't meant to appall liberals; they were meant to entice conservatives.
—Grayson Quay, The Week, 21 July 2022
To borrow a phrase from 19th-century Parisian poets, Épater la bourgeoisie—to shock and appall the middle class.
—Dan Neil, WSJ, 23 June 2022
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
These attacks weren't meant to appall liberals; they were meant to entice conservatives.
—Grayson Quay, The Week, 21 July 2022
To borrow a phrase from 19th-century Parisian poets, Épater la bourgeoisie—to shock and appall the middle class.
—Dan Neil, WSJ, 23 June 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for appall
Verb
-
Since its debut in 2012, the NBC procedural drama has released 13 seasons featuring its ensemble of dedicated firefighters, paramedics and rescue personnel who work to save the city’s residents from terrifying life-or-death situations.—
Emily Blackwood,
People.com,
27 Mar. 2025
-
Charli adds as the woman’s face subtly transforms from patient to terrified.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The 45-year-old then pulled off one of the most spectacular knockouts in boxing history in 1994, flooring Michael Moorer — 19 years his junior — with one perfect combination to claim Moorer’s two heavyweight belts.—
Greg Beacham,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2025
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Late in the 10th round, Foreman floored him with a flush combination to the jaw, and Moorer never got back to his feet.—
Mark Puleo,
The Athletic,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Miller, of course, is aware that Trump’s intention, always, is to shock, to play the madman, and thus frighten his rivals and alter the terms of the debate.—
David Remnick,
The New Yorker,
5 Feb. 2025
-
Seeing those kinds of numbers in headlines may have started to frighten U.S. consumers, data shows.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Fearful Tesla drivers are asking Tesla to implement new tech features in the vehicle to scare off protesters, Fortune reports.—
Emily Forlini,
PCMAG,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Sea cucumbers can eject part of their guts out of their mouth to scare off predators.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Fans and the producers were shocked by their final choice because of how Brion had acted during the show.—
Emily Blackwood,
People.com,
20 Mar. 2025
-
Rachel Zegler is still shocked by some of her experiences throughout the West Side Story casting process.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In her discussion of Christianity, King relishes the absurdity that results when a religion that is disgusted by female sexuality also engages in mother worship.—
S. C. Cornell,
The New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2025
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Once again, DeSantis has gone too far — in this case, ideologically and geographically — and people who surely voted for him in the state’s most conservative region are disgusted.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Just as the reports and images of atrocities committed against innocent Israelis horrifies me, the images of dead, mangled, and psychologically traumatized children haunt me as a mother and grandmother.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Mar. 2025
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Many outside the West were horrified by Russia’s 2022 invasion.—
TANISHA M. FAZAL,
Foreign Affairs,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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If, like me, you’re not offended by raisins in your carrot cake, Costco’s carrot bar cake is available now in the bakery’s refrigerator section.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
28 Mar. 2025
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That was a diplomatic answer perhaps designed to avoid offending Trump.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
27 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Appall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/appall. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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