awful 1 of 2

adjective

ˈȯ-fəl How to pronounce awful (audio)
Definition of awfulnext
1
as in horrible
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment that's an awful thing to say about someone

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in amazing
causing wonder or astonishment the awful power of Niagara Falls

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent spare me the awful details of the murder

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in terrible
extremely unsatisfactory I can't believe I spent good money to see that movie—it was awful

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

awful

2 of 2

adverb

as in terribly
to a great degree that's awful sweet of you

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of awful
Adjective
On Saturday in Orlando playing against a Central Florida team that was without its starting quarterback and three other starters, TCU was awful in a 21-13 loss in the Big 12 opener for both teams. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Sep. 2026 Nicky Lopez, Brett Phillips, Tim Hill and Mike Moustakas spent stints in an awful 2024 season that saw the White Sox set an MLB record with 121 losses. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2026
Adverb
Someone who has worked awful hard, has a great skill set, four years of college, four years of lifting, four years of game-planning at a high level in Division III. — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 26 May 2022 First, there is the question whether the awful-looking restraint maneuver Chauvin used was actually authorized at the time, or at least not clearly forbidden. — D.j. Tice, Star Tribune, 20 Feb. 2021 See All Example Sentences for awful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for awful
  1. horrible
  2. amazing
  3. horrific
  4. terrible
  5. terribly
  6. ugly
  7. wonderful
  8. gruesome
Adjective
  • Hill is a free agent after a horrible injury suffered last season.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Ashley Flynn’s sister, Kayla Keyt, said during her victim statement that her family could not overcome their sense of shock and despair after learning that Flynn betrayed them in such a violent and horrible way.
    — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • This is amazing because everyone gets great views and natural light.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • This is him in 2014 when a lot of people were like, ‘This guy is amazing.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of amazing
Adjective
  • My heart goes out to her family, friends, and everyone who is affected by this horrific incident.
    — Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026
  • In late August, a horrific but fortunately injury-free blaze at the Folsom Flea Market wreaked havoc on a number of small local businesses operating out of the space.
    — Aaron Davis, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of horrific
Adjective
  • Platforms prefill a name, email and phone number so a user can submit in one tap without leaving the feed, which is wonderful for a consumer promotion and terrible for a six-figure investment.
    — Jonathan Durante, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Saddled with terrible reviews and negative word-of-mouth, Tom Cruise‘s absurdist dark comedy has cratered at the box office with $8 million in North America and $20 million globally in its first weekend of release.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of terrible
Adverb
  • Susanna Moore is terribly important to us, more so than any of Hemingway’s gallant girls.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The Nazis employed the V-2 heavily during this time, but the rocket was not terribly accurate.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of terribly
Adjective
  • That's on the heels of a 41-7 blowout at Northwestern that was ugly enough for Deion Sanders to dismiss a handful of players for conduct detrimental to the team days later.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • In a world where (good, bad and ugly) answers and options are available, an employer needs a workforce that understands the business objectives and can weed through the noise to identify and execute the best solution.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of ugly
Adjective
  • There is a wonderful museum in the park that interactively showcases the landscape and cultural history of the Chacabuco Valley as well as this part of the region's ecological loss and path to recovery.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Howell and Sloyan are quite wonderful in these moments, and Howell is exceptional throughout.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of wonderful
Adjective
  • Against the backdrop of a gruesome day, the Hebrew-language movie unfolds individual emotions and lives both before and during the attack, everyday problems of course not stopping with the tragedy, just interacting with it.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
  • For centuries, this scene has been believed to show Harold’s gruesome end.
    — Alicja Zelazko, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of gruesome

Browse Nearby Words

awestruck
awful
awfully
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Awful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/awful. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of etiquette

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All