appalling
Causing great dismay
Appalling describes something that causes shock, dismay, or horror.
The word carries moral weight—appalling conditions suggest not just unpleasantness but wrongness: The report revealed appalling treatment of prisoners.
It can also express strong disapproval of quality or taste: Her spelling is appalling.
The participle comes from appall, meaning to dismay or horrify.
Causing extreme fear
- shockingCausing intense surprise
- dreadfulCausing great fear or suffering
- ghastlyTerrifyingly horrible or pale
- terribleExtremely poor or distressing
awful · horrendous · atrocious · frightful · outrageous · scandalous · egregious · deplorable
Extremely poor quality
- dismalDepressingly dark or dull
- terribleExtremely poor or distressing
- dreadfulCausing great fear or suffering
- woefulExtremely sad or pitiful
pathetic · pitiful · lamentable · wretched · miserable · hopeless · inadequate · substandard
Causing strong disgust
- repulsiveCausing strong disgust
- nauseatingCausing urge to vomit
- sickeningCausing disgust or nausea
- vileExtremely unpleasant or bad
loathsome · abhorrent · repellent · gross · foul · hideous · odious · detestable
Causing or meriting disgrace
- despicableMorally worthless, beneath regard
- contemptibleDeserving strong disrespect
- disgracefulCausing loss of respect
- reprehensibleDeserving condemnation
inexcusable · unacceptable · intolerable · beyond the pale · heinous · villainous · wicked · base
horrifying
Causing extreme fear
- shockingCausing intense surprise
- dreadfulCausing great fear or suffering
- ghastlyTerrifyingly horrible or pale
terrible · awful · horrendous · atrocious · frightful · outrageous · scandalous · egregious · deplorable · abysmal
abysmal
Extremely poor quality
- dismalDepressingly dark or dull
- terribleExtremely poor or distressing
- dreadfulCausing great fear or suffering
woeful · pathetic · pitiful · lamentable · wretched · miserable · hopeless · inadequate · substandard · inferior
revolting
Causing strong disgust
- repulsiveCausing strong disgust
- nauseatingCausing urge to vomit
- sickeningCausing disgust or nausea
vile · loathsome · abhorrent · repellent · gross · foul · hideous · odious · detestable · abominable
shameful
Causing or meriting disgrace
- despicableMorally worthless, beneath regard
- contemptibleDeserving strong disrespect
- disgracefulCausing loss of respect
reprehensible · inexcusable · unacceptable · intolerable · beyond the pale · heinous · villainous · wicked · base · ignoble
- uglyugly, hideous, unsightly, grotesque, repulsive
- disgustdisgust, disgusting, disgusted, revulsion, repulsion
- scary feelingsterrified, frightening, dreadful, creepiness, goosebumps
appallingdelightful
Highly pleasing, wonderful
wonderful · pleasing · appealing · charming · enchanting
appallingadmirable
Deserving high regard
delightful · wonderful · excellent · commendable · exemplary
appallinginnocuous
Causing no harm
harmless · inoffensive · benign · unobjectionable · unalarming