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Definition of awful adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

awful

adjective
 
 
/ˈɔːfl/
 
/ˈɔːfl/
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  1.  
     (informal) very bad or unpleasant
    • That's an awful colour.
    • ‘They didn't even offer to pay.’ ‘Oh that's awful.’
    • I feel awful about forgetting her birthday.
    • to look/feel awful (= to look/feel ill)
    • There's an awful smell in here.
    • The awful thing is, it was my fault.
    • It sounds awful to say it, but the war was exciting.
    • The weather conditions were just awful.
    • It's awful, isn't it?
    • The weather last summer was awful.
    Synonyms terribleterribleawful ▪ horrible ▪ dreadful ▪ vile ▪ horrendousThese words all describe something that is very unpleasant.terrible very bad or unpleasant; making you feel unhappy, frightened, upset, ill, guilty or disapproving:
    • What terrible news!
    • That’s a terrible thing to say!
    awful (rather informal) very bad or unpleasant; used to describe something that you do not like or that makes you feel depressed, ill, guilty or disapproving:
    • That’s an awful colour.
    • The weather last summer was awful.
    horrible (rather informal) very unpleasant; used to describe something that you do not like:
    • The coffee tasted horrible.
    dreadful (especially British English, rather informal) very bad or unpleasant; used to describe something that you do not like or that you disapprove of:
    • What dreadful weather!
    vile (informal) extremely bad or unpleasant:
    • There was a vile smell coming from the room.
    • He was in a vile mood.
    horrendous (rather informal) extremely unpleasant and unacceptable:
    • The traffic around the city was horrendous.
    Patterns
    • terrible/​awful/​horrible/​dreadful for somebody
    • a(n) terrible/​awful/​horrible/​dreadful/​vile thing
    • a(n) terrible/​awful/​horrible/​vile smell
    • terrible/​awful/​horrible/​dreadful/​vile/​horrendous conditions
    • terrible/​awful/​horrible/​dreadful/​vile weather
    • terrible/​awful/​dreadful news
    Extra Examples
    • The fish tasted awful.
    • a truly awful book
    • I woke from the most awful nightmare.
    Topics Weathera2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • feel
    • look
    • …
    adverb
    • just
    • quite
    • really
    • …
    See full entry
  2.  
     that shocks people very much synonym terrible
    • the awful horrors of war
    • It was only later that we learned the awful truth.
  3.  
     (informal) used to emphasize something, especially that there is a large amount or too much of something
    • It's going to cost an awful lot of money.
    • There's not an awful lot of room.
    • I feel an awful lot better than I did yesterday.
    • (British English) I had an awful job persuading him to come (= it was very difficult).
    Extra Examples
    • The whole thing has been an awful nuisance.
    • She's the most awful snob.
    4. Word OriginOld English (see awe, -ful).
See awful in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: awful

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trait
noun
 
 
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