What does awful mean?
Awful is an adjective meaning extremely bad, unpleasant, or of very poor quality, and it ranks among the most frequently used negative evaluative words in English. People reach for it when describing terrible weather, bad food, distressing news, or anything that fails badly at its purpose, and its informal intensifier form appears in everyday phrases like 'an awful lot' or 'an awful long time', where it simply means 'a great deal'. The word's history is striking: formed in Old English from 'awe' plus '-full', it originally described something worthy of profound reverence or dread — God, kings, majestic landscapes. Over the centuries the emphasis shifted from the awe itself to the fear and displeasure associated with it, so that by the nineteenth century 'awful' had come to mean simply dreadful or appalling. Related forms include the adverb 'awfully' and the noun-forming 'awfulness', while 'awesome' — built from the same root — travelled the opposite path toward positive intensity. Today awful carries a strongly negative connotation in both British and American English, though it remains casual rather than formal in tone.
Extremely bad or unpleasant; of very poor quality.
"The weather during our holiday was awful."
Often strengthened informally with 'absolutely' or 'truly'.
Very; to a great degree (used as an informal intensifier).
"He was awfully kind to stay late and help us finish."
The adverbial form is usually spelled 'awfully' and commonly softens or intensifies adjectives.
"Awful" once meant "full of awe" — worthy of deep reverence — before centuries of use flipped it into one of English's strongest insults.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of awful
Awful derives from Old English 'egefull' (later 'awe' + '-ful'), literally meaning 'full of awe' and describing something that inspired reverential fear or wonder. The underlying root 'awe' traces back through Old Norse 'agi', reflecting Scandinavian influence on Middle English. Over time the sense drifted from solemn reverence to fearful dread and eventually to general badness, a shift well established by the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It thus shares its origin with 'awesome' and 'awestruck', words that preserve different facets of the original emotion.
Related word forms
How awful is actually used
Awful is informal to neutral in register and almost always negative in modern usage. As an adverb ('awfully'), it often functions as an intensifier meaning 'very'. Its original sense of 'awe-inspiring' survives mainly in fixed religious or historical contexts and is considered archaic.
Easily confused with awful
Awful now means extremely bad, while awesome means extremely impressive or good; historically the two were closer in meaning, both deriving from 'awe'.
Offal is a noun referring to waste parts of a slaughtered animal or refuse, whereas awful is an adjective meaning very bad.