awfully

[aw-fuh-lee, awf-lee]

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.

awfully

/ 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

Confusables Note

See awful.

Word History and Origins

Origin of awfully¹

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

Example Sentences

But if we adjust the details a bit, that sounds awfully close to Elon Musk’s lazy storybook fantasies about charming hobbit villages protected by “hard men.”

Read more on Salon

This week two senior leaders of the British broadcaster stepped down over the actions described above and a question naturally occurs: Isn’t this pattern getting awfully old?

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“It is awfully easy to be hard-boiled about everything in the daytime,” Jake writes, “but at night it is another thing.”

Read more on Salon

Mayor Johnson says the business community is being “awfully unreasonable” in its opposition to the tax and that it should “do some real soul-searching.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“If this monster has never eaten anything at all, she must be awfully hungry by now!” said a cow named Tess.

Read more on Literature

Related Words

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