AWFUL
What does "AWFUL" mean?
Extremely bad or unpleasant; or, archaically, inspiring awe.
Meanings
- Very bad, unpleasant, or of poor quality. The traffic was awful, and we missed the start of the show.
- Used as an intensifier meaning 'very great' (informal). There's an awful lot of work still to do. informal
- Inspiring awe, reverence, or dread. They stood before the awful majesty of the canyon. archaic
Did you know?
- 'Awful' once meant 'full of awe' - a compliment. Over the 1700s and 1800s it slid from 'awe-inspiring' to 'terrible', so old texts praising an 'awful God' meant awe-inspiring, not bad.
- 'Awful' and 'awesome' are twins from the same root 'awe', yet they ended up as near-opposites - a textbook case of words drifting apart in meaning.
Word origin
From Old English 'egefull' ('full of awe, terrible'), literally 'awe-full'; its meaning slid from 'awe-inspiring' to 'extremely bad' over the 18th and 19th centuries.
Remember it
AWFUL = AWE + FULL. It once meant 'full of awe'; only later did the awe curdle into dread.
A little poem
Once 'awful' praised the storm that shook the spire;
now it just names a meeting we admire.
couplet
Wordplay
- The poet called the thunderstorm 'awful' and meant it as praise. His editor, two centuries later, deleted it as a typo.
What it teaches
Words drift like coastlines; the same syllable can shelter both reverence and ruin.
Quick facts
What does AWFUL mean?
Extremely bad or unpleasant; or, archaically, inspiring awe.
Is AWFUL a valid word?
Yes — AWFUL is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is AWFUL?
AWFUL has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does AWFUL come from?
From Old English 'egefull' ('full of awe, terrible'), literally 'awe-full'; its meaning slid from 'awe-inspiring' to 'extremely bad' over the 18th and 19th centuries.
What can AWFUL teach us?
Words drift like coastlines; the same syllable can shelter both reverence and ruin.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.