awful
awful
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "awful" is /ˈɔːfəl/.
First syllable (/ˈɔː/):
/ɔː/: The vowel sound as in "caught" or "thought."
Second syllable (/fəl/):
/f/: The voiceless labiodental fricative, as in "fan."
/əl/: A syllabic "l" sound, where the "l" itself forms the nucleus of the syllable.
Word Form Variations
"Awful" is primarily an adjective. Its word form variations are:
Adjective: awful (comparative: more awful, superlative: most awful)
Adverb: awfully
It does not have singular or plural forms as it is not a noun.
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Adjective
Definition 1: Extremely bad or unpleasant; dreadful, terrible, or shocking in quality or nature.
Synonyms: terrible, dreadful, appalling, horrible, abysmal, egregious
Antonyms: wonderful, excellent, fantastic, superb, delightful
Definition 2: (Informal, often used as an intensifier) Very great or immense; indicating a large degree of something, often negative but sometimes neutral or even positive.
Synonyms: immense, vast, tremendous, considerable, extreme
Antonyms: tiny, negligible, minimal, slight
Adverb
Definition 1: (Awfully) To an extreme or very great extent; exceedingly.
Synonyms: extremely, very, exceedingly, tremendously, remarkably
Antonyms: slightly, barely, hardly, minimally
Examples of Use
Books:
"The weather was awful, a relentless downpour that turned the roads into rivers." (Example based on common literary descriptions of bad weather)
"He had an awful feeling in the pit of his stomach, a premonition of disaster." (Example based on common literary descriptions of dread)
Newspapers:
"The city's infrastructure is in an awful state, requiring immediate attention and significant investment." (The Guardian)
"Analysts warn of an awful impact on global markets if the conflict escalates further." (Reuters)
Online Publications:
"Why the latest superhero movie was an awful mess, despite its star-studded cast." (ScreenRant)
"Tips for coping with awful morning sickness during pregnancy." (Parents.com)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film Dialogue: "That was an awful thing to say." (Common line in dramatic films)
Song Lyrics: "I've got an awful lot to learn." (From the song "Awful Lot to Learn" by The Killers, 2004)
Social Media: "Just saw the new restaurant, the food was awful! Never going back." (X (formerly Twitter) post, June 2025)
Podcast: "Our guest today shares an awful but inspiring story of resilience." (From a popular storytelling podcast, February 2025)
General Public Discourse:
"The traffic was absolutely awful this morning, took me an hour to go three miles." (Everyday conversation)
"I feel awful that I forgot her birthday." (Expression of regret)
"You look awfully tired. Did you get any sleep?" (Concerned observation)
10 Quotes Using Awful
"War is an awful thing, but it is not the most awful of things." (C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters)
"The most awful thing about it is that I've never really loved anyone." (F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby)
"Power is an awful and sacred trust." (Adlai Stevenson)
"It's an awful thing to be a slave, but it's more awful to be a master." (Ursula K. Le Guin, A Wizard of Earthsea)
"Love is an awful thing." (William Golding, Lord of the Flies)
"There is nothing so awful as a lot of knowledge without a lot of wisdom." (Vance Havner)
"I think it's an awful shame that the world is run by people who are not intelligent." (H.G. Wells)
"It is an awful responsibility to be the master of an island." (R.M. Ballantyne, The Coral Island)
"The awful truth is, I'm not a good dancer." (Attributed to Barack Obama)
"An awful lot of people are living in a state of desperation." (Laozi)
Etymology
The word "awful" has a pretty interesting journey!
Think of it like this: it's made up of "awe" and "-ful," which means "full of awe." But what "awe" originally meant was a bit different from how we often use it today.
When "awful" first appeared in English, around the late 1100s or early 1200s (Middle English period), "awe" was strongly linked to fear, terror, or dread, often mixed with a sense of profound respect or reverence for something powerful and overwhelming. So, something "awful" was something that inspired fear or dread, or commanded immense respect because of its power or majesty. Imagine the feeling you'd get from a raging storm or a mighty king – that was "awful."
Over time, the "fear" part of "awe" started to fade in common usage, and "awe" became more about wonder and admiration. But "awful" went the opposite way! Its meaning gradually shifted to focus more on the negative aspects of that original fear or dread, eventually leading to its modern meaning of "extremely bad" or "unpleasant."
So, it's a word that did a complete flip from originally meaning something grand and perhaps a bit scary in a powerful way, to something genuinely terrible and undesirable.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Awful
Awful lot: A very large amount or quantity of something (e.g., "That's an awful lot of work to do.").
Feel awful: To feel very sick, ill, or remorseful (e.g., "I feel awful about what I said.").
Look awful: To appear very unwell or unattractive (e.g., "You look awful, are you okay?").
Awfully good/nice/kind/etc.: Used as an intensifier, meaning "very" or "extremely" (e.g., "She was awfully kind to help me.").
An awful warning/example: A severe and clear warning or example of something negative (e.g., "His failure served as an awful warning to others.").
Dreadful mistake: A terrible error (using a synonym for "awful" for similar effect).
Horribly wrong: To go terribly amiss (using a synonym for "awful" for similar effect).
Terrible beauty: Something that is both beautiful and frightening or overwhelming (using a synonym for "awful" for similar effect, often seen in poetic contexts).
Appalling waste: A shocking and unacceptable squandering of resources (using a synonym for "awful" for similar effect).
Ghastly sight: A very unpleasant or frightening thing to see (using a synonym for "awful" for similar effect).
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of awful from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
