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View synonyms for

awful

[ aw-fuhl ]

adjective

  1. extremely bad; unpleasant; ugly:

    awful paintings; an awful job.

  2. inspiring fear; dreadful; terrible:

    an awful noise.

  3. solemnly impressive; inspiring awe:

    the awful majesty of alpine peaks.

  4. full of awe; reverential.
  5. extremely dangerous, risky, injurious, etc.:

    That was an awful fall she had. He took an awful chance by driving here so fast.



adverb

  1. Informal. very; extremely:

    He did an awful good job of painting the barn. It's awful hot in here.

awful

/ ˈɔːʊ /

adjective

  1. very bad; unpleasant
  2. archaic.
    inspiring reverence or dread
  3. archaic.
    overcome with awe; reverential
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

  1. not_standard.
    (intensifier)

    an awful cold day

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Confusables Note

Although some object to any use of awful or awfully in any sense not connected with a feeling of awe, both have been used in other senses for several centuries. Awful and awfully as adverbial intensifiers— awful ( ly ) hot; awful ( ly ) cold —appear in the early 19th century, following much the same pattern as horribly and dreadfully. As an adverb awful is less formal in tone than awfully. In the sense “inspiring awe or fear” awesome has largely replaced awful.
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Derived Forms

  • ˈɴڳܱԱ, noun
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Other Word Forms

  • fܱ·Ա noun
  • ܲȴ-fܱ adjective
  • ܲȴ-fܱ·ly adverb
  • ܲ·fܱ adjective
  • un·fܱ·Ա noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of awful1

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English a(g)heful, aueful; awe + -ful; replacing Old English egefull “d𲹻ڳܱ”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of awful1

C13: see awe , -ful
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Responding to an activist calling for a boycott of Rowling-associated brands, Pascal commented on Instagram that Rowling was exhibiting "heinous loser behavior" and spouting "awful disgusting s**t" about trans women.

From

Everybody needs to get everything right for it to really sing; the difference between it being an amazing moment onstage and it being OK or embarrassing or awful is tiny.

From

I just think the idea that the best answer when we have 27% approval from our base is to roll over and die is an awful idea.

From

First of all, he appears to be obsessed with his Fox News culture war issues, particularly DEI, and spends an awful lot of time worrying about things like physical fitness rather than the big picture.

From

But his attempt at the Liverpool accent has received, over the years since, reviews from "decent" to "variable" to "awful".

From

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