Awful
WordNet
adjective
(1) 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"
(2) 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"
(3) 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"
(4) 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
(5) Extreme in degree or extent or amount or impact
"In a frightful hurry"
"Spent a frightful amount of money"
(6) Inspired by a feeling of fearful wonderment or reverence
"Awed by the silence"
"Awful worshippers with bowed heads"
adverb
(7) Used as intensifiers
"Terribly interesting"
"I'm awful sorry"
WiktionaryText
Adjective
- 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; as, an awful scene.
- Struck or filled with awe;
- terror-stricken.
- Worshipful; reverential; law-abiding.
- Exceedingly great; usually applied intensively; as, an awful bonnet, I have learnt an awful amount today.
- Very bad.
- My socks smell awful.