AWFUL

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does awful mean? 

• AWFUL (adjective)
  The adjective AWFUL has 6 senses:

1. exceptionally bad or displeasing

2. causing fear or dread or terror

3. offensive or even (of persons) malicious

4. inspired by a feeling of fearful wonderment or reverence

5. extreme in degree or extent or amount or impact

6. inspiring awe or admiration or wonder

  Familiarity information: AWFUL used as an adjective is common.

• AWFUL (adverb)
  The adverb AWFUL has 1 sense:

1. used as intensifiers

  Familiarity information: AWFUL used as an adverb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• AWFUL (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Exceptionally bad or displeasing

Synonyms:

abominable; atrocious; awful; dreadful; painful; terrible; unspeakable

Context example:

an unspeakable odor came sweeping into the room

Similar:

bad (having undesirable or negative qualities)

Derivation:

awfulness (a quality of extreme unpleasantness)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Causing fear or dread or terror

Synonyms:

awful; dire; direful; dread; dreaded; dreadful; fearful; fearsome; frightening; horrendous; horrific; terrible

Context example:

a terrible curse

Similar:

alarming (frightening because of an awareness of danger)

Derivation:

awfulness (a quality of extreme unpleasantness)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Offensive or even (of persons) malicious

Synonyms:

awful; nasty

Context example:

Will he say nasty things at my funeral?

Similar:

dirty; filthy; lousy (vile; despicable)

grotty (very unpleasant or offensive)

hateful; mean (characterized by malice)

Also:

unpleasant (offensive or disagreeable; causing discomfort or unhappiness)

Attribute:

nastiness (the quality of being highly unpleasant)

Derivation:

awfulness (a quality of extreme unpleasantness)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Inspired by a feeling of fearful wonderment or reverence

Synonyms:

awed; awful

Context example:

awful worshippers with bowed heads

Similar:

reverent (feeling or showing profound respect or veneration)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Extreme in degree or extent or amount or impact

Synonyms:

awful; frightful; terrible; tremendous

Context example:

spent a frightful amount of money

Similar:

extraordinary (beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable)

Domain usage:

colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Inspiring awe or admiration or wonder

Synonyms:

amazing; awe-inspiring; awesome; awful; awing

Context example:

Westminster Hall's awing majesty, so vast, so high, so silent

Similar:

impressive (making a strong or vivid impression)

• AWFUL (adverb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Used as intensifiers

Synonyms:

awful; awfully; frightfully; terribly

Context example:

I'm awful sorry

Domain usage:

colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)

 Context examples 

“But I forgive you, Mr. Copperfield,” said Uriah, making his forgiving nature the subject of a most impious and awful parallel, which I shall not record.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

I think I must have fallen asleep and kept dreaming of the incident, for it seemed to be repeated endlessly, and now looking back, it is like a sort of awful nightmare.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

He could kiss her lips, rest his own physical lips upon them, but it would be with the lofty and awful fervor with which one would kiss the robe of God.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

It was awful to me to think of all those lords and ladies sitting round that breakfast-table and waiting for me to come back.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He was always hideous, but he looks more awful than ever now, for he appears to have had an accident and he is much disfigured.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Back into that awful Klondike world of suffering?

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

Surely there can be little in this world more awful than the spectacle of a strong man in the moment when he is utterly weak and broken.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

“So I have,” said he, and it was awful to hear the tones that he said it in.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

These days, your alliance is either deliriously good or so awful that you will probably have one foot out the door.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

I wish I could believe them to be only such: I wish it more now than ever; since even you cannot explain to me the mystery of that awful visitant.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)