Dictionary

appall en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (UK) audio
• /əˈpɔːl/
• ə-pôlʹ

Etymology

From Middle English apallen, from Old French apalir (“to grow pale, make pale”); a (Latin ad) + palir (“to grow pale, to make pale”), pâle (“pale”), from pallere. See pale (adj.) and compare with pall.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To fill with horror or indignation; to dismay.
   • The house of peers was somewhat appalled at this alarum. 1702–1704, Edward [Hyde, 1st] Earl of Clarendon, (please specify |book=I to XVI), in The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Begun in the Year 1641. […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed at the [Sheldonian] Theater:
   • The evidence put forth at the court appalled most of the jury.
2. (obsolete, transitive) To make pale; to blanch.
   • Thanſwere that ye made to me my dere whañ I did ſewe for my poore hartes redreſſe hathe ſo apalld my countenaunce […] c. 1527–1542, Thomas Wyatt, “Thanſwere that ye made to me my dere”, in Egerton MS 2711, page 63r:
3. (obsolete, transitive) To weaken; to reduce in strength
   • wine of it owne nature will not congeale and freeze, onely it will loose the strength, and become appalled in extremitie of cold. 1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “(please specify |book=I to XXXVII)”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. […], (please specify |tome=1 or 2), London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC:
4. (intransitive, obsolete) To grow faint; to become weak; to become dismayed or discouraged.
5. (intransitive, obsolete) To lose flavor or to become stale.

Forms

Deriveds

appallment · appaller

Synonyms

spook · fray · scare the hell out of · frighten · terrify · dismay · scare · give someone the shits · make someone's blood run cold · scare the pants off of · affright · depress · terrorize · scare · petrify · grill · scare the bejeebers out of · affright · scare the shit out of · frighten · daunt · horrify · mortify · terrify · appall · scare straight · harrow · alarm

Translations (28)

ru ужаса́ть (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · es consternar (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · ru устраша́ть (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · sv förfära (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · fi tyrmistyttää (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · pt consternar (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · bg плаша (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · sv skrämma (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · fi kauhistuttaa (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · cs děsit (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · fa رنگ پریدن (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · pl zbulwersować (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · pl bulwersować (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · es abrumar (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · cs šokovat (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · fr horrifier (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · ru потряса́ть (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · bg ужасявам (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · mi whakarihariha (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · ru приводи́ть в смяте́ние (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · es apabullar (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · de entsetzen (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · ru пуга́ть (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · es horrorizar (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · it impallidire (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · de abstoßen (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · fr atterrer (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear) · sv förskräcka (to depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear)