awful
extremely bad; unpleasant; ugly: awful paintings; an awful job.
inspiring fear; dreadful; terrible: an awful noise.
solemnly impressive; inspiring awe: the awful majesty of alpine peaks.
full of awe; reverential.
extremely dangerous, risky, injurious, etc.: That was an awful fall she had. He took an awful chance by driving here so fast.
Informal. very; extremely: He did an awful good job of painting the barn. It's awful hot in here.
Origin of awful
1confusables note For awful
Other words from awful
- aw·ful·ness, noun
- quasi-awful, adjective
- qua·si-aw·ful·ly, adverb
- un·aw·ful, adjective
- un·aw·ful·ness, noun
Words that may be confused with awful
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for awful
/ (ˈɔːfʊl) /
very bad; unpleasant
archaic inspiring reverence or dread
archaic overcome with awe; reverential
not standard (intensifier): an awful cold day
Origin of awful
1Derived forms of awful
- awfulness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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