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
Elizabeth Drew"I suppose you think me awfully foolish about it?"—Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde2
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
Edith Wharton
b
archaic
: with a feeling of awe
And timorous passed, and awfully withdrew.—Alexander Pope, translation The Odyssey of Homer
Alexander Pope, translation The Odyssey of Homer3
: 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
George BorrowExamples of awfully in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Though his metaphors are awfully on the nose, Chiarella convincingly insists on their power.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 24 Jan. 2026
Don’t know about you, Sean Payton, but I’d be awfully tempted to run the dang ball Sunday.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2026
Purdy runs for his life The Seahawks made things awfully difficult on quarterback Brock Purdy, who spent much of his night trying to avoid getting sacked by Seattle’s talented defensive front that was among the NFL’s best throughout the season.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 18 Jan. 2026
The implication was that language is reliable, consistent, and predictable, which is awfully boring—and dangerous.
—Julia Fisher, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2026
Since the literary adaptation won the TIFF People’s Choice Award in September, its buzz had gotten awfully quiet.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
Robby—The Pitt executive producer, writer, director, and star Noah Wyle’s instantly iconic attending physician—is leading his final shift before a three-month leave that sounds like an awfully good idea following his meltdown last season.
—Judy Berman, Time, 8 Jan. 2026
However, officials went to the scorer’s table to review the play, which was awfully close.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Still, the sandwiches are awfully good.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 24 Jan. 2026
Don’t know about you, Sean Payton, but I’d be awfully tempted to run the dang ball Sunday.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2026
Purdy runs for his life The Seahawks made things awfully difficult on quarterback Brock Purdy, who spent much of his night trying to avoid getting sacked by Seattle’s talented defensive front that was among the NFL’s best throughout the season.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 18 Jan. 2026
The implication was that language is reliable, consistent, and predictable, which is awfully boring—and dangerous.
—Julia Fisher, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2026
Since the literary adaptation won the TIFF People’s Choice Award in September, its buzz had gotten awfully quiet.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
Robby—The Pitt executive producer, writer, director, and star Noah Wyle’s instantly iconic attending physician—is leading his final shift before a three-month leave that sounds like an awfully good idea following his meltdown last season.
—Judy Berman, Time, 8 Jan. 2026
However, officials went to the scorer’s table to review the play, which was awfully close.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Still, the sandwiches are awfully good.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Awfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/awfully. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
