awful
1. exceptionally bad or displeasing (Freq. 10)
- atrocious taste
- abominable workmanship
- an awful voice
- dreadful manners
- a painful performance
- terrible handwriting
- an unspeakable odor came sweeping into the room
• Syn:
atrocious, abominable, dreadful, painful, terrible, unspeakable
• Similar to:
bad
• Derivationally related forms:
terribleness (for: terrible), dreadfulness (for: dreadful), awfulness
2. causing fear or dread or terror (Freq. 4)
- 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
• Syn:
dire, direful, dread, dreaded, dreadful,
fearful, fearsome, frightening, horrendous, horrific, terrible
• Similar to:
alarming
• Derivationally related forms:
terribleness (for: terrible), dread (for: dread), awfulness
3. 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
• Syn:
nasty
• Ant:
nice (for: nasty)
• Similar to:
dirty, filthy, lousy, grotty, hateful, mean
• See Also:
unpleasant
• Derivationally related forms:
awfulness, nastiness (for: nasty)
• Attrubites:
nastiness
4. inspired by a feeling of fearful wonderment or reverence
- awed by the silence
- awful worshippers with bowed heads
• Syn:
awed
• Similar to:
reverent
5. 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
• Syn:
amazing, awe-inspiring, awesome, awing
• Similar to:
impressive
6. extreme in degree or extent or amount or impact
- in a frightful hurry
- spent a frightful amount of money
• Syn:
frightful, terrible, tremendous
• Similar to:
extraordinary
• Derivationally related forms:
terribleness (for: terrible)
• Usage Domain:
colloquialism
used as intensifiers (Freq. 4)
- terribly interesting
- I'm awful sorry
• Syn:
terribly, awfully, frightfully
• Usage Domain:
colloquialism
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