appalling, ppl. a.
(əˈpɔːlɪŋ)
[f. appal v. + -ing2.]
1. Such as to overwhelm with consternation or dismay; dismaying, shocking.
| 1817 Shelley Laon & Cythna i. xi. p. 6 Within the sphere of that appalling fray. 1824 Dibdin Libr. Comp. 592 Hogarth never depicted a more appalling subject. 1836 Gen. P. Thompson Exerc. (1842) IV. 159 The newspapers have reported two or three ‘appalling accidents’ already. |
2. colloq. In weakened sense: distasteful, ‘shocking’. Cf. dreadful a. 3.
| 1919 Punch 7 May 357 What appalling rot! 1935 Discovery Aug. 222/2 The work involved is truly appalling. |