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

Right now, though, ripe, honey-tart peaches with soft goat cheese would be awfully good with the last sips of a Chenin Blanc. — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

This could be described as assertive or confident clothing, all of the designer’s work achieves drama while in its exceptionally flattering fit, and which somehow still looks and feels awfully comfortable. — Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

That’s an awfully bold move from Motorola, considering the foldable is powered by the same chip as the 2024 and 2025 models and also reuses the design and screens from previous generations. — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 29 June 2026

The catastrophies that our heroine averts are awfully small potatoes — a bulldozer running amok, an amusement park ride speeding out of control, some prankish teenagers scheming to turn the girl’s shower into a steambath. — Arthur Knight, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 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