appall

verb

ap·pall ə-ˈpȯl How to pronounce appall (audio)

variants or less commonly appal

appalled; appalling

transitive verb

: to overcome with consternation, shock, or dismay

We were appalled by his behavior.

intransitive verb

obsolete : weaken, fail

Example Sentences

The thought of war appalls me. It appalls me to think of the way those children have been treated.

Recent Examples on the Web 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 No television cameras documented the brutal violence or produced the images needed to appall Americans in other states.

Francine Uenuma, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Feb. 2020 Carpenter thrills rabid fans who know nothing about the organ or its music, and mostly appalls professional organists.

Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 28 Feb. 2020 Trump appalls many reasonable people by some of his antics and utterances, but his supporters are rock-solid at only slightly less than half the country, and enough to have got him elected.

Conrad Black, National Review, 30 Oct. 2019 But Ireland is also a relatively conservative country, and the idea of celebrating violence appalls many.

Christopher Woolf, USA TODAY, 16 Oct. 2017 Indeed, the decline of philosophy in American life would surely be among the things that would appall the Founders most about the country in 2017.

Pascal-emmanuel Gobry, National Review, 27 Sep. 2017 And set aside demonstrable workplace problems from behavior that annoys or appalls you.

The Seattle Times, 13 Sep. 2017 See More

Word History

Etymology

Middle English apallen, appallen "to grow faint (of strength), fade (of emotions), dim (of honor, fame), (transitive) to make fade, allay, tarnish," probably borrowed from Middle French apalir "to become pale, make pale," going back to Old French, from a-, prefix forming transitive verbs (going back to Latin ad- ad-) + palir "to become pale" — more at pale entry 2

Note: The origin of this verb is not completely clear. In Middle English both ap(p)allen and pallen "to pall entry 1," taken as an aphetic form of ap(p)allen, consistently show spellings with a double l that reflect short a, which is confirmed by the modern outcome [pɔl]; note the rhyme falleth / appalleth in Gower's Confessio Amantis. If Middle French apalir is the source, there would appear to be scant grounds for -ll-, as unprefixed palir yields Middle English palen, modern pale. In Anglo-French apalir is apparently unattested—or at least not entered in the Anglo-Norman Dictionary—though palir is occasionally attested with -ll-. Both ap(p)allen and pallen at a fairly early date show semantic extension well beyond the literal base "to make pale."

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

appall

verb

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

Relevance

terrify
shock
frighten
floor
disgust
scare
horrify
offend
panic
amaze
astonish
outrage
alarm
displease
terrorize
jolt
repel
overwhelm
distress
shake up
sicken
stupefy
disturb
dismay
stun
unman
startle
fright
nauseate
astound
flabbergast
affright
dumbfound
spook
unsettle
awe
daunt
scandalize
unnerve
revolt
scarify
disconcert
dispirit
shake
discomfort
dumfound
upset
disquiet
bowl over
perturb
knock for a loop
chill
emasculate
undo
alarum
demoralize
discompose
overpower
freak (out)
turn off
weird out
unstring
crush

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

delight
please
gratify
rejoice
tempt
entice
assure
buffer
cushion
tickle
charm
cheer
comfort
reassure
soothe
console
solace

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of appall are daunt, dismay, and horrify. While all these words mean "to unnerve or deter by arousing fear, apprehension, or aversion," appall implies that one is faced with that which perturbs, confounds, or shocks.

I am appalled by your behavior

The meanings of daunt and appall largely overlap; however, daunt suggests a cowing, disheartening, or frightening in a venture requiring courage.

a cliff that would daunt the most intrepid climber

The words dismay and appall can be used in similar contexts, but dismay implies that one is disconcerted and at a loss as to how to deal with something.

dismayed at the size of the job

In some situations, the words horrify and appall are roughly equivalent. However, horrify stresses a reaction of horror or revulsion.

was horrified by such wanton cruelty

单词	appall
释义	appall verb ap·pall ə-ˈpȯl variants or less commonly appal appalled; appalling transitive verb : to overcome with consternation, shock, or dismay We were appalled by his behavior. intransitive verb obsolete : weaken, fail Synonyms floor jolt shake up shock See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences The thought of war appalls me. It appalls me to think of the way those children have been treated. Recent Examples on the Web 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 No television cameras documented the brutal violence or produced the images needed to appall Americans in other states. Francine Uenuma, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Feb. 2020 Carpenter thrills rabid fans who know nothing about the organ or its music, and mostly appalls professional organists. Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 28 Feb. 2020 Trump appalls many reasonable people by some of his antics and utterances, but his supporters are rock-solid at only slightly less than half the country, and enough to have got him elected. Conrad Black, National Review, 30 Oct. 2019 But Ireland is also a relatively conservative country, and the idea of celebrating violence appalls many. Christopher Woolf, USA TODAY, 16 Oct. 2017 Indeed, the decline of philosophy in American life would surely be among the things that would appall the Founders most about the country in 2017. Pascal-emmanuel Gobry, National Review, 27 Sep. 2017 And set aside demonstrable workplace problems from behavior that annoys or appalls you. The Seattle Times, 13 Sep. 2017 See More Word History Etymology Middle English apallen, appallen "to grow faint (of strength), fade (of emotions), dim (of honor, fame), (transitive) to make fade, allay, tarnish," probably borrowed from Middle French apalir "to become pale, make pale," going back to Old French, from a-, prefix forming transitive verbs (going back to Latin ad- ad-) + palir "to become pale" — more at pale entry 2 Note: The origin of this verb is not completely clear. In Middle English both ap(p)allen and pallen "to pall entry 1," taken as an aphetic form of ap(p)allen, consistently show spellings with a double l that reflect short a, which is confirmed by the modern outcome [pɔl]; note the rhyme falleth / appalleth in Gower's Confessio Amantis. If Middle French apalir is the source, there would appear to be scant grounds for -ll-, as unprefixed palir yields Middle English palen, modern pale. In Anglo-French apalir is apparently unattested—or at least not entered in the Anglo-Norman Dictionary—though palir is occasionally attested with -ll-. Both ap(p)allen and pallen at a fairly early date show semantic extension well beyond the literal base "to make pale." First Known Use 14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense Kids Definition appall verb ap·pall ə-ˈpȯl appalled; appalling : to cause to feel shock, horror, or disgust She was appalled by their foul language. appall verb 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 Relevance terrify shock frighten floor disgust scare horrify offend panic amaze astonish outrage alarm displease terrorize jolt repel overwhelm distress shake up sicken stupefy disturb dismay stun unman startle fright nauseate astound flabbergast affright dumbfound spook unsettle awe daunt scandalize unnerve revolt scarify disconcert dispirit shake discomfort dumfound upset disquiet bowl over perturb knock for a loop chill emasculate undo alarum demoralize discompose overpower freak (out) turn off weird out unstring crush Antonyms & Near Antonyms delight please gratify rejoice tempt entice assure buffer cushion tickle charm cheer comfort reassure soothe console solace See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of appall are daunt, dismay, and horrify. While all these words mean "to unnerve or deter by arousing fear, apprehension, or aversion," appall implies that one is faced with that which perturbs, confounds, or shocks. I am appalled by your behavior The meanings of daunt and appall largely overlap; however, daunt suggests a cowing, disheartening, or frightening in a venture requiring courage. a cliff that would daunt the most intrepid climber The words dismay and appall can be used in similar contexts, but dismay implies that one is disconcerted and at a loss as to how to deal with something. dismayed at the size of the job In some situations, the words horrify and appall are roughly equivalent. However, horrify stresses a reaction of horror or revulsion. was horrified by such wanton cruelty
随便看	make something of (oneself) make something of it make something of one's life make something of oneself make something one's own make something stick make sport of make stick make sure make the acquaintance of someone make the bed make the best of make the best of a bad job make the best of it make the connection make the cut make the final sacrifice make the final/supreme/ultimate sacrifice make the first move make the grade make the introductions make the most of make the rounds make the scene make the shot

appall

verb

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

verb

verb

Synonym Chooser