awful
exceptionally bad or displeasing
How often you will meet it
Rank 1,316 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 13,893 times across 155,139 chapters — 0.007% of every word in the library.
What it means
adjective
- exceptionally bad or displeasing also: atrocious, abominable, dreadful, painful, terrible, unspeakable atrocious tasteabominable workmanship
- causing fear or dread or terror also: dire, direful, dread, dreaded, dreadful, fearful the awful waran awful risk
- offensive or even (of persons) malicious also: nasty in a nasty mooda nasty accident
- inspired by a feeling of fearful wonderment or reverence also: awed awed by the silenceawful worshippers with bowed heads
- extreme in degree or extent or amount or impact also: frightful, terrible, tremendous in a frightful hurryspent a frightful amount of money
- inspiring awe or admiration or wonder also: amazing, awe-inspiring, awesome, awing New York is an amazing citythe Grand Canyon is an awe-inspiring sight
adverb
- used as intensifiers also: terribly, awfully, frightfully terribly interestingI'm awful sorry
awful in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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Over the awful ocean Her signal guns pealed out.
Poems Every Child Should Know · Mary E. (Mary Elizabeth) [Editor] Burt · Chapter 1
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From this awful fate the lovely Ootanga had preserved him.
Sketches by Seymour — Volume 04 · Robert Seymour · Chapter 1
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For a minute Teddy glared like a devil in the moonlight, and an awful evil expression fairly flooded his face.
The Torch and Other Tales · Eden Phillpotts · Chapter 1
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Beside the Moldau's rushing stream, With the wan moon overhead, There stood, as in an awful dream, The army of the dead.
The Complete Poetical Works of Henry · Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Chapter 1
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The cause of this awful outbreak of human passion was the murder of a four-year-old child, daughter of a man named Vance.
The Red Record Tabulated Statistics · Ida B. Wells-Barnett · Chapter 1