as in extremely
to a great degree
I'm awfully sorry
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Recent Examples of awfully
The classic bikini fairing harks back to the original café racer's front end, surrounding a pair of awfully low-slung clip-on handlebars and dual electronic clocks behind a compact visor.
—
New Atlas, 6 Mar. 2026
But the combination of naked ambition, absence of cynicism, and a sunny disposition seemed awfully suspicious.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
The dollars per share can be awfully confusing.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 27 Feb. 2026
Motta reluctantly agreed to be Bernie Bickerstaff’s top assistant, and to teach the Nuggets his offense — and the $300,000 salary looked awfully good.
—Brad Townsend, Dallas Morning News, 26 Feb. 2026
And Sweden came awfully close against the United States.
—Chris Pronger, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
The new club opening in Fort Worth is in an awfully competitive landscape.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Feb. 2026
That last part can be awfully hard to do.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
With so many decisions to make, the Chiefs would have to get awfully creative to extend cornerback Trent McDuffie (who is entering the final year of his contract), which is why his name has floated in trade hypotheticals.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 5 Feb. 2026
New Atlas, 6 Mar. 2026
But the combination of naked ambition, absence of cynicism, and a sunny disposition seemed awfully suspicious.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
The dollars per share can be awfully confusing.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 27 Feb. 2026
Motta reluctantly agreed to be Bernie Bickerstaff’s top assistant, and to teach the Nuggets his offense — and the $300,000 salary looked awfully good.
—Brad Townsend, Dallas Morning News, 26 Feb. 2026
And Sweden came awfully close against the United States.
—Chris Pronger, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
The new club opening in Fort Worth is in an awfully competitive landscape.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Feb. 2026
That last part can be awfully hard to do.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
With so many decisions to make, the Chiefs would have to get awfully creative to extend cornerback Trent McDuffie (who is entering the final year of his contract), which is why his name has floated in trade hypotheticals.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for awfully
Adverb
-
Now the molecule was DMT, which causes an extremely intense but relatively short trip.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The researchers also say the laser could benefit industries that depend on nanoelectronics, including semiconductor manufacturing, by helping engineers detect extremely small defects in chips.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Physicists hunting for new superconductors often look for a very specific shape hidden in their data—a dome.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Now, both teams head to the Big Ten tournament with opposite momentum and very different stakes, though any number of wins for UCLA can’t hurt its seeding come Selection Sunday.—
Sean Campbell,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
In a world gone terribly wrong and sideways, humanity survives.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Mar. 2026
-
If that version of the fable hasn’t aged terribly well, an item in The Wall Street Journal this week elicited a few nervous squeals from some the NFL’s TV partners.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Menus were incredibly thoughtful, comfortably dancing the line between familiar, Western fare and regional dishes.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Quick, easy, and incredibly satisfying.—
Nina Moskowitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
10 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
That goes for basketball and football camps, too.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The spacious patio—which features its own garden—is a major plus, too.—
Payton Turkeltaub,
Vogue,
12 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Outhouse is one of three highly respected defensive backs at North Crowley.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Phoenix, Arizona, followed in the top three, with Florida cities like Tampa also ranking highly for pet travel.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
And damned if Love isn’t willing to talk, sometimes candidly and other times in maddeningly vague terms, about all the hell she’s gone through to get to right now.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Jeff looks at things very straightforwardly and is damned fearless, right?—
Fortune Editors,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
The Kremlin will also be pleased the US has used huge numbers of munitions, notably advanced missiles that Ukraine badly needed.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The detail was that Rivas’ body was not only badly decomposed when it was found – it had been dismembered and separated into two bags before being placed in the trunk of the Tesla.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Awfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/awfully. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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