Definition of awful
(adj)
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"
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
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"
(adv)
used as intensifiers; "terribly interesting"; "I'm
awful sorry"