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awful

adj.
A2 Elementary Oxford US //ˈɑfəɫ// UK //ˈɔːfəl// aw·ful Archaic General-service Informal Vulgar

adj. very bad or unpleasant. You use this to describe something that makes you feel unhappy or disgusted.

adj. extremely unpleasant, poor in quality, or morally objectionable. While historically used to mean 'inspiring awe', modern usage is almost exclusively negative and informal.


SIMPLE

The weather today is absolutely awful.

CONTEXTUAL

I had an awful headache all morning and had to stay in bed with the lights off.

COMPLEX

The critics gave the play an awful review, claiming the script was repetitive and the lead actor's performance lacked any emotional depth.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From Middle English agheful, awfull, auful, aȝefull, equivalent to awe + -ful. Compare Old English eġeful, eġefull (“terrifying; awful”). The “very bad” sense is a pejorative semantic shift from the original sense of “awe-inspiring”.

Usage

Often used as an intensifier in the adverbial form 'awfully' to mean 'very'.

Idioms1 entry

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