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awful English

Meaning awful meaning

What does awful mean?

Definitions in simple English

awful Adjective

— Very bad. So bad that people don't want to think about it. When all the children were crying, it was just awful.

awful

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

Synonyms awful synonyms

What other words have the same or similar meaning as awful?

awful English » English

terrible horrible dreadful frightful hideous abominable ghastly gruesome abhorrent nasty loathsome fearful atrocious vile dire detestable horrendous accursed terrific frightening fearsome bad formidable dreaded appalling tremendous terrifying horrific horrid beastly awe-inspiring alien very bad grisly foul dread direful awing awesome amazing violent unspeakable terribly stinking stately severe serious scary repulsive odious

Topics awful topics

What do people use awful to talk about?

Language and thought Emotion Feel bad Sad

Examples awful examples

How do I use awful in a sentence?

Simple sentences

I feel awful about that.

An awful thing happened today.

That car is no doubt in an awful condition.

This bike is awful; it's too heavy.

How awful!

I had an awful experience today, so I'm going to have a beer and go straight to bed.

This has been the most awful day in my eleven-year-old life.

Although natto smells awful, it is delicious.

I made an awful mistake in the test.

Is it always so awful in April?

The only difference between an awful cook and a poisoner is the intention.

This man is very awful.

This girl is very awful.

Why are you so awful?

I have a nasty feeling that something awful is going to happen.

It's an awful shame your wife couldn't come.

What an awful lot of books you have!

I don't recommend eating in that restaurant. The food is awful.

I had an awful time at the conference.

I met with an awful accident.

You look awful.

Movie subtitles

I committed another awful sin (Dominus!

That's awful, Alex.

Oh, it's awful.

Leslie's making that God-awful polenta tonight.

I was just sitting here thinking about you, and, you know, how amazing you've been during this painful, awful time.

Let us get out of this awful place.

I was going through my mother's things and I found something truly awful.

Proclaim to the world that she was awful and overbearing and that I hated her?

They came in, they turned out the lights, everything was black. the next thing I know, I could feel someone near me, and then I heard the most awful, horrible sound.

Then the most awful, horrible pain.

Certainly more illuminating than those awful bores.

I'm awful, and there's more, but I don't feel a need to share it with you because I run the magazine.

I dreamt last night an awful dream.

You are awful.

It's just awful.

And have you seen her legs? They're awful!

That awful woman is jealous!

That's awful, young man, just awful.

How awful!

Oh, this is awful.

But you can't do this awful thing. Take two lives!

Awful bad.

Gee, boss. You gave Arnie an awful walloping.

What was that, Karl? It's an awful road.

Locking me in my room. And the horrible smell of that awful weed.

Her soul will be forever freed of that awful appetite.

Throw away those awful flowers, will you?

AND I MEAN, THE THING IS, MOST OF THEM WERE JUST AWFUL.

Oh, I feel awful.

But I've got such an awful pain.

But I gotta give credit, where credit is due, and Jerry deserves an awful lot of credit because he followed my instructions to the letter.

You're getting awful fat.

That would be awful. I should say not.

I guess Jerry loves you an awful lot.

Oh, that's awful.

Has she forgotten how awful it is?

Well, I'm in an awful plight. - Yeah?

It's awful kind of you to look after me.

News and current affairs

So we would all spare ourselves an awful lot of trouble if McCain's brainchild were buried as quickly as possible.

We know that despite its great wealth - and its groundbreaking medical research - America's health-care system is awful.

If one looks at how it has affected financial conditions, including long-term interest rates, volatility, and stock prices, QE looks an awful lot like conventional interest-rate policy, which we think we understand.

Signor Cavallo, who returned to the Treasury Department in order to save his baby, is right when he asserts that the budgetary problems are simply not as awful as many people believe.

That is the sad and awful question Lakhani asks, but alas he offers no answer.

At the same time, the proposed solutions for the problem of global warming have been awful.

Summers is certainly right: there is an awful lot in Lombard Street that is about the crisis from which we are now recovering.

Brazil, your typical Latin American country looks pretty awful in this competition; so do most Eastern European economies.

Go beyond North America, the Nordic countries, Australia and New Zealand - the world supply side leaders - indeed, and conditions become awful real fast.

Predictably, the results were awful.

One hopes that the awful experience of the last six months has led both sides to a clearer perception of economic realities and priorities.

IMF policies are criticized more than the awful policies that incited a country to collapse in the first place.

In fact, now that the initial shock and confusion have given way to a more sober perspective, the terrorist attacks of that awful day are increasingly seen - as they should be - as one among numerous other nationalist milestones.

For those who seek a democratic and liberal Russia, the quandary is awful, because to delegitimize Putin only risks bringing darker and more archaic powers to the surface.

All the other awful pressures that are driving so many women into bankruptcy will still exist, but at least more women will be facing these pressures with their eyes wide open, and, one hopes, with many better options.

True, the disappearance of growth is abrupt and more drastic than a soft landing; the carnage in high tech is pretty awful. For a moment there was real fear of a real recession.

And Shakespeare noted that tooth decay was a cause of awful pain and unpleasant odor.

When I went to Darfur recently, I was particularly struck by those humanitarian workers who keep going back into an awful situation.

Awful as they are, societies survive them.

The IMF is terrible at anticipating crises; it is awful at surveillance; but it is right and successful once it comes to post-trauma treatment.

American airlines are pretty awful.

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