awful

[ aw-fuh l ]

/ ˈɔ fəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR awful ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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.

adverb

Informal. very; extremely: He did an awful good job of painting the barn. It's awful hot in here.

Nearby words

aweless, awesome, awesomesauce, awestruck, aweto, awful, awfully, awhato, awheel, awhile, awhirl

Origin of awful

1200–50; Middle English a(g)heful, aueful; see awe, -ful; replacing Old English egefull dreadful

Related forms

aw·ful·ness, nounqua·si-aw·ful, adjectivequa·si-aw·ful·ly, adverbun·aw·ful, adjective

un·aw·ful·ness, noun

Can be confused

awful awesome offal (see usage note at the current entry)

Usage 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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for awful

The simple, awful truth is that free speech has never been particularly popular in America.
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
However, not all awful, astoundingly dumb political memes are created equal.
Political Memes That Absolutely Must Die in 2015|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The results were awful: marked osteoporosis in the spine, hip, and femur.
You’re Never ‘Cured’ of an Eating Disorder|Carrie Arnold|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Soon all the world will see what an awful movie Sony Pictures Entertainment has made.
Sony Hackers Issue 9/11 Warning|William Boot|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

On and offline, offenses ranged from awful Tinder messages to violent threats on Twitter to street stalking.
10 Things That Made Us Want to Turn Off the Internet Forever in 2014|The Daily Beast|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But I will never let you run the risks of this awful life alone again.
A Mountain Woman and Others|(AKA Elia Wilkinson) Elia W. Peattie
For a moment the spectators of this awful disaster stood still in mute astonishment.
The Seven Cardinal Sins: Envy and Indolence|Eugne Sue
We could see her decks were in an awful mess and her stern was in flames.
Best Stories of the 1914 European War|Various
I declare, that I look on the Western Territory in an awful and striking point of view.
Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856, Vol. I (of 16)|Thomas Hart Benton
Some people would think it awful vulgar, you know, but I don't care; that's the sort of man I am.
The Art of Amusing|Frank Bellew

British Dictionary definitions for awful

awful

/ (ˈɔːfʊl) /

adjective

very bad; unpleasant

archaic inspiring reverence or dread

archaic overcome with awe; reverential

adverb

not standard (intensifier)an awful cold day

Derived Forms

awfulness, noun

Word Origin for awful

C13: see awe, -ful

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