awfully

American  

[aw-fuh-lee, awf-lee] / ˈɔ fə li, ˈɔf li /

adverb

1. very; extremely.

   That was awfully nice of you. He's awfully slow.

2. in a manner provoking censure, disapproval, or the like.

   She behaved awfully all evening.

3. Archaic.

   1. in a manner inspiring awe.

      shouting awfully the dreaded curse.

   2. in a manner expressing awe.

      to stare awfully.

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awfully British  

/ ˈɔːflɪ, ˈɔːfəlɪ /

adverb

1. in an unpleasant, bad, or reprehensible manner

2. informal (intensifier)

   I'm awfully keen to come

3. archaic so as to express or inspire awe

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Commonly Confused

See awful.

Etymology

Origin of awfully

1350–1400; Middle English auefulli; awful, -ly

Example Sentences

The U.S. debt market has been awfully steady lately.

From Barron's

The U.S. debt market has been awfully steady lately.

From Barron's

But even though Mama was right there, the space between us felt awfully wide, and getting across it seemed like a dangerous venture.

From Literature

For more than a decade, victory in the team figure-skating event had proven to be awfully slippery for the Americans.

From The Wall Street Journal

But after standing at the counter and getting no service or nods of recognition for what felt like an awfully long time—long enough for me to take note—I left.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• dreadfully
• excessively
• extremely
• hugely
• immensely
• quite
• terribly
• truly