awful — extremely bad or unpleasant
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: extremely bad or unpleasant
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈɔːfəl/
Example Sentences
- My cooking skills are so awful that even my dog refuses to eat what I make.
- The movie was awful - I wanted my money back after 10 minutes.
- She felt awful about forgetting her best friend's birthday party.
awful
ADJECTIVE[/ˈɔːfəl/]
extremely bad or unpleasant

The burnt lasagna smelled so awful that everyone covered their noses.

His unlawful verdicts were truly awful!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
Derived from Middle English 'awe-full', combining 'awe' (a feeling of reverential respect) with the suffix '-full'. Originally carried a positive connotation of 'inspiring awe or wonder', but gradually shifted through 'fear-inducing' to its modern negative sense of 'terrible' or 'appalling'.
Breakdown
awe (reverence, dread) + -ful (full of, characterized by). The suffix -ful transforms the noun 'awe' into an adjective meaning 'full of awe'.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My cooking skills are so awful that even my dog refuses to eat what I make.”
“The movie was awful - I wanted my money back after 10 minutes.”
“She felt awful about forgetting her best friend's birthday party.”
“That's an awful lot of homework for one weekend!”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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