awfully

adverb

aw·​ful·​ly ˈȯ-fə-lē 

especially as an adverb of adjective sense 2 -flē

1

: exceedingly, extremely, very

—used as an intensive

an awfully long time

That's awfully nice of you.

Her name seems awfully familiar.

Technically, it's not bribery, but it's awfully close.

—Elizabeth Drew

"I suppose you think me awfully foolish about it?"

—Oscar Wilde

2

a

dated : in a way that inspires awe

… the drawing room in which New York's most chosen company was somewhat awfully assembled.

—Edith Wharton

b

archaic : with a feeling of awe

And timorous passed, and awfully withdrew.

—Alexander Pope, translation The Odyssey of Homer

3

: in an unpleasant, disagreeable, or objectionable way

We were treated awfully.

The team played awfully.

… he of the red nightcap now commenced snoring awfully …

—George Borrow

Examples of awfully in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Eric Tulsky’s asset management has been incredible over the last couple of seasons, and this feels like an awfully big bet for an aging goalie. — Murat Ates, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Heading into it, Randy was awfully confident in his chances to take home the trophy. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026

At that point, Biden’s talk of mandatory retirement for aging officeholders hit awfully close to home. — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

But apart from that, there’s the matter of just how awfully spirit-lifting her earth-angel mezzo-soprano tends to be, even when backing herself into dark corners before backing her way back out again. — Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Rhymes for awfully

• sawfly

Kids Definition

awfully

adverb

aw·​ful·​ly

usually ˈȯ-fə-lē

in sense 1, ˈȯ-flē

in sense 2

1

: in a disagreeable or unpleasant manner

2

: very entry 2 sense 1

awfully nice of you