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View definitions for appalled

appalled

adjective as in shocked

adjective as in shocked

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Example Sentences

His upper-middle-class parents—played by Jeffrey Wright and Jennifer Hudson—are appalled and angry, but they also feel helpless.

From Time

“He’s obviously very shaken, very appalled, very angry,” Contee said, adding that rioters stole items from the officer and, he thinks, tried to get his firearm.

Stacie MacDonald, a former Republican candidate for the House of Delegates who is helping to finance the lawsuit, said in a statement she was “absolutely appalled” at the county’s steps because of the fragile state of the economy.

After the first week, my husband and I, both also working from home, were appalled.

So we shouldn’t be appalled by that, but we should make sure that everybody is paying their fair share.

I remember being appalled that he killed off Little Nell in The Old Curiosity Shop.

Israelis often are amused and appalled by the crazies attracted to the Holy Land, and not only for religious reasons.

But outsiders, generally, are embarrassed or appalled, and so are a growing number of locals.

The notion of anarchy so appalled the conservative Reagan, he came out against Briggs, and it was defeated.

“I was truly appalled by the realization of the deceit involved,” Bradlee wrote.

A quick vision of death smote her soul, and for a second of time appalled and enfeebled her senses.

Louis was too much appalled by the two leading charges, to shew any surprise at the third.

The anger and rebellion had been comatose in these years of freedom, but the maturer brain was the more uneasy, at times appalled.

The people huddled together, and looked into each others' appalled faces, and no man said a word.

It was this absence of interest after close upon a year in the country that appalled him as much as his inner visioning.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for appalled?

Some of the closest synonyms for appalled are dismayed and disgusted.

Dismayed implies a sense of sadness or disappointment about something that has happened. Appalled implies not sadness but extreme distaste or disgust, and the same thing is implied by disgusted.

Appalled also often implies a sense of shock or surprise.

In fact, appalled is often used alongside the word shocked, as in We were shocked and appalled. 

Shocked implies extreme surprise, but it can be positive or negative. Appalled is always negative—it’s a combination of surprise (about how bad something is) and outrage.

What is a stronger word for appalled?

Appalled is a pretty strong word. Disgusted is similarly strong, though it may imply an even stronger revulsion for what has happened.

What’s worse than appalled?

Saying that you’re appalled by someone’s behavior is about the strongest way you can say that. To further emphasize disapproval, someone might use several similar words, as in We are shocked, appalled, saddened, and disgusted by this display of violence.

What is the opposite (antonym) of appalled?

Appalled doesn’t necessarily have an exact opposite. When you’re appalled about something, you’re shocked about it in a bad way (because you feel disgust or dismay about it). In this way, feeling positive about something could be considered the opposite of being appalled. Words that capture this idea include reassured, delighted, encouraged, and comforted, as in We were reassured by the results of the survey. 

How do you spell appalled?

The adjective appalled comes from the past tense of the verb appall, so it’s always spelled with two L’s. (In British English, appall is sometimes spelled appal, but even its past tense is spelled appalled.)

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On this page you'll find 136 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to appalled, such as: agog, amazed, anxious, awestruck, dismayed, and shocked.

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.

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