awful

SayAW-ful/ˈɔfl̩/UK/ˈɔːfl̩/

8 meanings of awful

1
adjective
Very bad or unpleasant in quality.
Like a rainy, cold day that ruins everything you had planned.
The food at that diner was awful, and we left half of it.
She had an awful day and just wanted to go home.
Similarterrible, dreadful, horrible, atrocious, appalling
Oppositewonderful, excellent, great, marvelous
Note
2
adjective
Very great in amount, size, or degree.
There's an awful lot of work left to do before Friday.
He made an awful mess in the kitchen while cooking.
Similarhuge, tremendous, enormous, considerable
Note
3
adverbcolloquialCanadaUS
Very, used to make the next word stronger.
It's awful cold out here tonight, so bring a coat.
She was awful tired after the long drive home.
Similarvery, really, extremely, mighty
Note
4
adverbcolloquial
Very, or to a great or unpleasant degree.
I'm awful sorry for all the trouble I caused you.
It's been awful quiet in the house since they moved away.
Similarterribly, dreadfully, really, real
Note

Practice

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Origin

From Middle English, made from "awe" plus "-ful." It first meant "awe-inspiring," but later changed to mean "very bad."