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awful - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'awful' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Awful [ a.]
- Oppressing with fear or horror; appalling; terrible; as, an awful scene.
- Inspiring awe; filling with profound reverence, or with fear and admiration; fitted to inspire reverential fear; profoundly impressive.
- Struck or filled with awe; terror-stricken.
- Worshipful; reverential; law-abiding.
- Frightful; exceedingly bad; great; -- applied intensively; as, an awful bonnet; an awful boaster.

Meaning of 'awful' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . awful [ a]
Meaning (1):
- offensive or even (of persons) malicious
Example in sentence:
  • a nasty accident;
  • a nasty shock;
  • a nasty smell;
  • a nasty trick to pull;
  • in a nasty mood;
  • Will he say nasty things at my funeral?
2 . awful [ r]
Meaning (2):
- used as intensifiers
Example in sentence:
  • I'm awful sorry;
  • terribly interesting
3 . awful [ s]
Meaning (3):
- causing fear or dread or terror
Example in sentence:
  • a career or vengeance so direful that London was shocked;
  • a dreadful storm;
  • a fearful howling;
  • a terrible curse;
  • an awful risk;
  • dire news;
  • horrendous explosions shook the city;
  • polio is no longer the dreaded disease it once was;
  • the awful war;
  • the dread presence of the headmaster
Meaning (4):
- exceptionally bad or displeasing
Example in sentence:
  • a painful performance;
  • abominable workmanship;
  • an awful voice;
  • an unspeakable odor came sweeping into the room;
  • atrocious taste;
  • dreadful manners;
  • terrible handwriting
Meaning (5):
- inspired by a feeling of fearful wonderment or reverence
Example in sentence:
  • awed by the silence;
  • awful worshippers with bowed heads
Meaning (6):
- extreme in degree or extent or amount or impact
Example in sentence:
  • in a frightful hurry;
  • spent a frightful amount of money
Meaning (7):
- inspiring awe or admiration or wonder
Example in sentence:
  • New York is an amazing city;
  • the awesome complexity of the universe;
  • the Grand Canyon is an awe-inspiring sight;
  • this sea, whose gently awful stirrings seem to speak of some hidden soul beneath;
  • Westminster Hall's awing majesty, so vast, so high, so silent

Nearby Words:

awfully awfulness

See 'awful' also in:

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