awful
Americanadjective
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extremely bad; unpleasant; ugly.
awful paintings; an awful job.
-
inspiring fear; dreadful; terrible.
an awful noise.
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solemnly impressive; inspiring awe.
the awful majesty of alpine peaks.
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full of awe; reverential.
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extremely dangerous, risky, injurious, etc..
That was an awful fall she had. He took an awful chance by driving here so fast.
adverb
adjective
-
very bad; unpleasant
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archaic inspiring reverence or dread
-
archaic overcome with awe; reverential
adverb
Commonly Confused
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.
Other Word Forms
- awfulness noun
- quasi-awful adjective
- quasi-awfully adverb
- unawful adjective
- unawfulness noun
Etymology
Origin of awful
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English a(g)heful, aueful; awe + -ful; replacing Old English egefull “dreadful”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Camus’s vision may have been a bleak and arid one, but it retains its awful potency.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
It wasn’t until the #MeToo movement that she saw it for the awful episode it was.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
"It's awful and you feel naked and open to attack because you worry about being rejected and maybe sometimes that will happen but when it doesn't that's where intimacy and close relationships start to grow."
From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026
As someone who wakes up in a cold sweat every night, terrified by the looming possibility that “The Devil Wears Prada 2” may be awful, trust me: Sometimes it’s better to leave well enough alone.
From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026
“I left my address but I thought you might use it to write or telephone. I feel awful that you’re here so late.”
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
