# awful

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈɔː.fʊl/ · frequency rank #3,209

## Definitions
1. Very bad.
2. Exceedingly great; usually applied intensively.
3. Causing fear or horror; appalling, terrible.
4. Awe-inspiring; filling with profound reverence or respect; profoundly impressive.
5. Struck or filled with awe or reverence.
6. Terror-stricken.
7. Prone to a particular temptation.

## Etymology
From Middle English agheful, awfull, auful, aȝefull, equivalent to awe + -ful. Compare Old English eġeful, eġefull (“terrifying; awful”).
The “very bad” sense is a pejorative semantic shift from the original sense of “awe-inspiring”.

## Easily confused with
- **AWOL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/awful-vs-awol)
- **awfully** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/awful-vs-awfully)
- **AFL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/afl-vs-awful)
- **Abdul** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/abdul-vs-awful)
- **afoul** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/afoul-vs-awful)
- **artful** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/artful-vs-awful)

## Common misspellings (7)
`afwul`, `awfful`, `awflu`, `awfull`, `awufl`, `awwful`, `waful`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/awful