awfully
Americanadverb
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very; extremely.
That was awfully nice of you. He's awfully slow.
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in a manner provoking censure, disapproval, or the like.
She behaved awfully all evening.
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Archaic.
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in a manner inspiring awe.
shouting awfully the dreaded curse.
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in a manner expressing awe.
to stare awfully.
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adverb
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in an unpleasant, bad, or reprehensible manner
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informal (intensifier)
I'm awfully keen to come
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archaic so as to express or inspire awe
Commonly Confused
See awful.
Etymology
Origin of awfully
Explanation
Use the adverb awfully to emphasize something, or to mean "very." You might say that you'd love to live in New York City, but it's awfully expensive. The word awfully is most often used for emphasis, as a way to say "extremely," "immensely," or "highly." Your newborn nephew might be awfully cute, or your surprise birthday party might be awfully fun. You can also use the word to mean "dreadfully" or "terribly," as in "My team played just awfully, so I wasn't surprised when they lost the game." The original meaning was "inspiring awe" or "inspiring reverence."
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.
The setting of Spielberg’s latest looks awfully similar to our own.
From Salon • Jun. 13, 2026
Limbo doesn’t have a ZIP code, but it’s an awfully unsettling place to live.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 6, 2026
Yet its plans to “modernize” the TV-and-movie house seem to have fallen awfully hard on 60 Minutes itself, despite the news brand’s status as one of Paramount’s most treasured properties.
From Slate • Jun. 5, 2026
"Last year we had an awfully dry summer which impacted yields drastically so now with our energy prices being hit like they have, it just feels like one thing after another."
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
“That big dinner made me snoozelly. I’m hitting the hay. Five a.m. comes awfully early.”
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
