Choose the word from the options given below that is closest in meaning to the given underlined word:
Appal
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Dismay
Appal (spelt "appall" in American English) means to shock or fill someone with horror and disgust. Its synonym is dismay.
Example: The cruelty shown to the animals will appal you.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Dismay (answer) | as a verb, to make someone feel shocked, upset and worried (to appal someone is to fill him or her with shock and distress) | The poor exam results dismayed the teachers. |
| (2) Inceptive | marking the beginning of something (it has nothing to do with shock) | The inceptive stage of the project took only a week. |
| (3) Embrace | to hold someone closely in one's arms, or to accept an idea gladly (it is a warm, welcoming action, the reverse of being shocked) | The mother embraced her son at the airport. |
| (4) Liturgy | a fixed form of public worship, especially in a church (it is unrelated to appal) | The Sunday liturgy lasted an hour. |
| Also asked in CUET (UG): dismay – 18-05-2026 Slot 1, 19-05-2025 Slot 1, 22-05-2023 Slot 1 |