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

单词	appalls
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. appalls verb variants also appals present tense third-person singular of appall as in disgusts to cause an unpleasant surprise for conditions inside the house overrun with cats simply appalled animal control officers Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance disgusts frightens terrifies scares floors shocks horrifies offends amazes displeases outrages astonishes panics terrorizes repels distresses overwhelms alarms disturbs shakes up jolts sickens dismays stuns stupefies astounds startles unmans nauseates flabbergasts unsettles spooks dumbfounds awes affrights unnerves scandalizes revolts daunts frights disconcerts shakes upsets disquiets scarifies emasculates undoes chills dumfounds perturbs discomforts bowls over demoralizes knocks for a loop alarums overpowers freaks (out) turns off dispirits weirds out discomposes unstrings crushes Antonyms & Near Antonyms pleases delights rejoices gratifies tempts entices tickles assures cushions buffers cheers reassures comforts soothes charms consoles solaces See More
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appall

verb

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

verb

verb