Something that is appalling is awful or horrible, causing dismay or disgust. It's definitely not appealing.

What does it mean if something is appalling?

: inspiring horror, dismay, or disgust living under appalling conditions appalling savagery.

What does appalling mean in a sentence?

Something that is appalling is so bad or unpleasant that it shocks you. They have been living under the most appalling conditions for two months. Synonyms: horrifying, shocking [informal], terrible, alarming More Synonyms of appalling. appallingly adverb. He says that he understands why they behaved so appallingly.