awful

[aw-fuh l]

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.

Origin of awful

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

Related formsaw·ful·ness, nounqua·si-aw·ful, adjectivequa·si-aw·ful·ly, adverbun·aw·ful, adjectiveun·aw·ful·ness, noun

Can be confusedawful 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

Related Words for awful

depressing, dreadful, atrocious, horrific, distressing, tough, harrowing, horrible, disgusting, appalling, frightful, ugly, unpleasant, ghastly, dire, horrendous, gruesome, nasty, hideous, shocking

Examples from the Web for awful

Contemporary Examples of 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
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 results were awful: marked osteoporosis in the spine, hip, and femur.
You’re Never ‘Cured’ of an Eating Disorder
Carrie Arnold
December 20, 2014
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
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

Historical Examples of awful

Phœbus protect me, but this is an awful place to speak of those who sleep.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
"I think it's just awful—at his time of life, too," said Mrs. Bines.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
It was awful to reflect how many sermons must have been written there.
The Old Manse (From "Mosses From An Old Manse")
Nathaniel Hawthorne
It was awful to Harriett that her father should be ill, lying there at their mercy.
Life and Death of Harriett Frean
May Sinclair
The awful thing was that she couldn't love him, couldn't go on being faithful.
Life and Death of Harriett Frean
May Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for awful

awful

adjective

very bad; unpleasant

archaic inspiring reverence or dread

archaic overcome with awe; reverential

adverb

not standard (intensifier)an awful cold day

Derived Formsawfulness, 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

Word Origin and History for awful

adj.

c.1300, agheful "worthy of respect or fear," from aghe, an earlier form of awe (n.), + -ful. Replaced Old English egefull. Weakened sense "very bad" is from 1809; weakened sense of "exceedingly" is by 1818.