English Explanatory Dictionary

appall

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To fill with horror or indignation; to dismay.
  2. To make pale; to blanch.
  3. To weaken; to reduce in strength
  4. To grow faint; to become weak; to become dismayed or discouraged.
  5. To lose flavor or to become stale.

Pronunciation

ə-pôlʹ /əˈpɔːl/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Mélange a trois-appall.wav

Word forms

appall appalls appalling appalled appal

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.

Synonyms

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

Derived words

appaller appallment
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