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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary aw·ful
DATE 13th century 1. inspiring awe 2. filled with awe: as a. obsolete : afraid , terrified b. deeply respectful or reverential 3. extremely disagreeable or objectionable awful food 4. exceedingly great — used as an intensive an awful lot of money Usage. Many grammarians take issue with the senses of awful and awfully that do not convey the etymological connection with awe.However, senses 3 and 4 of the adjective were used in speech and casual writing by the late 18th century it is an awful while since you have heard from me — John Keats (letter) there was an awful crowd — Sir Walter Scott (letter) this is an awful thing to say to oil painters — William Blake Adverbial use of awful as an intensifier began to appear in print in the early 19th century, as did the senses of awfully corresponding to senses 3 and 4 of the adjective. Both adverbs remain in widespread use a sad state of affairs and awful tough on art — H. L. Mencken the awfully rich young American — Henry James decided to play it so awfully safe — A. M. Schlesinger b1917
adverb DATE 1818 : very , extremely awful tired English Etymology awful c.1300, agheful, from aghe an earlier form of awe, + -ful. Replaced O.E. egefull. Weakened sense "exceedingly" is from 1818. Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 ☞ awful awful / 5C:fl / adjective1. (informal) very bad or unpleasant 很坏的；极讨厌的: That's an awful colour. 那颜色难看得很。 'They didn't even offer to pay.' 'Oh that's awful.' "他们甚至不主动付钱。" "哦,这真不像话。" It's awful, isn't it? 糟糕透了,不是吗？ The weather last summer was awful. 刚过去的夏季天气真坏。 I feel awful about forgetting her birthday. 我忘了她的生日,感到很难过。 to look / feel awful (= to look / feel ill) 面带病容；感到很不舒服 There's an awful smell in here. 这里有股很难闻的味道。 The awful thing is, it was my fault. 糟糕的是,这是我的过失。 ⇨ note at terrible 2. (informal) used to emphasize sth, especially that there is a large amount or too much of sth 非常的；很多的；过多的: It's going to cost an awful lot of money. 这要花非常多的钱。 There's not an awful lot of room. 没有很多的空间。 I feel an awful lot better than I did yesterday. 我觉得身体比昨天好得多了。 (BrE) I had an awful job persuading him to come (= it was very difficult). 说服他来真是费劲死了。 3. very shocking 骇人听闻的；可怕的 SYN terrible :
the awful horrors of war 骇人听闻的战争恐怖 • aw·ful·ness noun [U] : the sheer awfulness of the situation 糟透了的情况 adverb (informal, especially NAmE) very; extremely 非常；极其: Clint is awful smart. 克林特机灵极了。 Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English awful adj. VERBS be, feel, look, smell, sound, taste I felt awful when I realized what I'd done. The fish tasted awful. ADV. bloody (taboo), fucking (taboo), just, quite, really, simply, truly a truly awful book | absolutely, the most She's the most awful snob. | pretty, rather OLT awful adj. ⇨ terrible 1 (awful weather)⇨ terrible 2 (an awful lot of money/an awful mess)⇨ terrible 3 (an awful nightmare) Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged Search result show the entry is found in: god-awful , or gosh-awful aw·ful I. \ˈȯfəl\ adjective (sometimes awfuller sometimes awfullest) Etymology: Middle English awful, aweful, ageful, from awe, age + -ful 1. : inspiring awe: as a. : causing dread or terror : appalling < I am in fear — in awful fear — and there is no escape for me — Bram Stoker > b. : commanding reverential fear or profound respect < they may hold converse with some saint, their awful, kindly friend — Nathaniel Hawthorne > c. : solemnly impressive < Westminster Hall … had an awful majesty, so vast, so high, and so silent — E.W.Weeks > 2. : filled with awe: as a. obsolete : terror-stricken < great potentates do kneel with awful fear — Christopher Marlowe > b. : deeply respectful < towards the East our awful greetings are wafted — John Keble > 3. : extremely unpleasant, disagreeable, or objectionable — often a generalized expression of disapproval < she has an awful voice > < an awful person > < awful manners > < an awful hat > 4. : very great — used as an intensive < does an awful lot of talking > < took an awful chance > Synonyms: see fearful II. adverb : awfully , very , extremely < my papa always said you were an awful smart boy — Willa Cather > — not often in formal use |
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