appal

appal — verb

1. to upset and disgust someone deeply, usually because they think the thing they h

1.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to upset and disgust someone deeply, usually because they think the thing they have seen, heard, or learned about is morally wrong or seriously bad.

Example

The conditions inside the old prison appalled the visiting journalists.

appal + [people] for moral shock at something witnessed

Tamar was appalled by the way the manager spoke to the cleaning staff.

passive: be appalled by + [behaviour]

Common collocations
  • be appalled by
  • be appalled at
  • utterly appalled
  • absolutely appalled
Synonyms
  • horrify

    very close synonym; slightly more about fear and revulsion than moral judgement

  • shock

    weaker and more neutral; can be positive or negative, while 'appal' is always negative

  • dismay

    softer; about disappointment and discouragement rather than disgust

  • outrage

    stronger anger component; 'appal' leans more toward dismay and disgust

Antonyms
  • delight

    to please greatly — opposite emotional reaction

  • reassure

    to calm someone's worry, the opposite of provoking moral shock

Grammar Patterns

appal + somebody

be appalled by/at + something

Usage Note

Frequently used in the passive: 'be appalled by/at'. The cause is usually something the speaker judges as morally wrong, cruel, or shockingly bad — not merely surprising. Stronger and more formal than 'shock'.

Common Mistakes

I was appalled by the beautiful sunset.
I was amazed by the beautiful sunset.
'appal' carries strong negative judgement; never use it for things you admire.
The film appalled.
The film appalled the audience.
'appal' is transitive; it needs an object (the person who is shocked).

Word family

  • appalled
    adjectiveB2
  • appalling
    adjectiveB2
  • appallingly
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five words describe a strong negative reaction, but they differ in what kind. 'Shock' is the most neutral and most common — you can be shocked by good news as well as bad. 'Appal' and 'horrify' are stronger and always negative; both suggest deep disgust at something morally wrong or terrible. 'Horrify' leans slightly more toward fear and revulsion ('horrified by the photos of the crash'), while 'appal' leans toward moral judgement ('appalled by the lies'). 'Dismay' is softer and more about disappointment and discouragement ('dismayed by the result'). 'Outrage' adds strong anger and a sense of injustice — you protest, not just feel bad. So you might be 'shocked' by the news, 'appalled' by the cruelty behind it, and 'outraged' enough to write to your representative.

appal ↗horrify ↗shock ↗dismay ↗outrage ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be appalled to learn
  • be appalled to hear

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Comes from Old French 'apalir', meaning to make pale or grow pale, formed from 'a-' (to) and 'pale'. The original idea was that a person's face turns pale from a sudden fright or shock. Over time, English narrowed the meaning to the strong feeling itself rather than the physical paling, and from the 16th century onward 'appal' came to mean to fill someone with horror or moral dismay. The British spelling keeps a single 'l' ('appal'); American English usually doubles it ('appall').