awful
awful Lexical Profile
awful Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Very bad, unpleasant, or of extremely poor quality.
"The traffic on the highway was awful because of the severe snowstorm."
Extremely shocking, horrifying, or distressing.
"Rescue workers arrived quickly at the scene of the awful train derailment."
Used as an informal intensifier to denote a very large amount or extreme degree.
"It takes an awful lot of patience to restore antique mechanical watches."
Inspiring reverential wonder, solemn dread, or profound respect (archaic).
"The medieval chronicler described the monarch's awful majesty in the cathedral."
• adverb
Very or extremely (used informally as an intensifier).
"It has been an awful long time since our family last visited the coast."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'awful' historically meant 'inspiring reverential awe or dread,' in modern standard English it almost exclusively means 'very bad' or 'unpleasant,' whereas 'awesome' retained the positive sense of wonder. Its use as an intensifier meaning 'very' (e.g., 'an awful lot' or adverbial 'awful cold') is strictly informal.
• Rhymes for awful
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in Middle English from 'awe' (borrowed from Old Norse 'agi', meaning terror or dread) plus the suffix '-ful', replacing Old English 'egefull'. Originally meaning 'worthy of profound respect or fear,' it underwent semantic weakening by the early 19th century to mean 'very bad'.