Meaning & Definition of Awful in English

1. 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"

2. 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"

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

4. Inspired by a feeling of fearful wonderment or reverence

• "Awed by the silence"

• "Awful worshippers with bowed heads"

5. Extreme in degree or extent or amount or impact

• "In a frightful hurry"

• "Spent a frightful amount of money"

6. 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"

1. Used as intensifiers

• "Terribly interesting"

• "I'm awful sorry"