awful
extremely bad; unpleasant; ugly: awful paintings; an awful job.
inspiring fear; dreadful; terrible: an awful noise.
solemnly impressive; inspiring awe: the awful majesty of alpine peaks.
full of awe; reverential.
extremely dangerous, risky, injurious, etc.: That was an awful fall she had. He took an awful chance by driving here so fast.
Informal. very; extremely: He did an awful good job of painting the barn. It's awful hot in here.
Origin of awful
1confusables note For awful
Other words from awful
- aw·ful·ness, noun
- quasi-awful, adjective
- qua·si-aw·ful·ly, adverb
- un·aw·ful, adjective
- un·aw·ful·ness, noun
Words that may be confused with awful
Words Nearby awful
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use awful in a sentence
Besides, Schalke’s awful season heightened the need to introduce fresh talent.
Matthew Hoppe was a little-known American soccer player — until he reached the Bundesliga | Steven Goff | February 11, 2021 | Washington PostThere’s a lot of stuff that is lawful, but awful, and the government can’t regulate that away with or without Section 230.
Twenty-Six Words Created the Internet. What Will It Take to Save It? | Stephen Engelberg | February 9, 2021 | ProPublicaThat’s down from about 55,000 a year ago — but it’s still an awful lot of people.
Like GameStop, Bed Bath & Beyond has been reduced to a meme stock. But 42,000 people work there. | Allan Sloan | February 8, 2021 | Washington PostAll it takes is one person dropping in on you to generate awful thoughts about humankind.
While the reduction in numbers is a big improvement over a packed venue, Swartzberg says, “It’s still an awful lot of people to bring into a stadium.”
Even at half capacity, the Super Bowl could cause COVID-19 outbreaks | Kate Baggaley | February 5, 2021 | Popular-Science
Yes, we do typically do better than Europe (and Canada, too, which is frequently awful on this score).
The simple, awful truth is that free speech has never been particularly popular in America.
However, not all awful, astoundingly dumb political memes are created equal.
Political Memes That Absolutely Must Die in 2015 | Asawin Suebsaeng | January 1, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTI lost my mother five years ago… she was only 68, so that was pretty awful.
The results were awful: marked osteoporosis in the spine, hip, and femur.
But when you are there, the awful secret of conspiracy will not be revealed in caverns, dungeons, and darkness.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane PorterI begged him to come down here, but he wouldn't—says that his hand is no longer steady enough to hold a gun—it's awful!
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonIt burst upon them ere long with awful fury and grandeur, the elements warring with incredible vehemence.
Hunting the Lions | R.M. Ballantyne"I declare, wife, that was an awful accident over to the mills," said Mr. Slocum.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun; | VariousBubby, why don't you go home and have your mother sew up that awful hole in your trowsers?
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun; | Various
British Dictionary definitions for awful
/ (ˈɔːfʊl) /
very bad; unpleasant
archaic inspiring reverence or dread
archaic overcome with awe; reverential
not standard (intensifier): an awful cold day
Origin of awful
1Derived forms of awful
- awfulness, noun
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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