A1 noun Neutre #1,154 le plus courant

awful

/ˈɔː.fəl/

Something that is very bad, unpleasant, or of low quality. It is commonly used to describe negative experiences, feelings, or conditions.

Exemples

3 sur 5
1

The weather was awful, so we stayed home all day.

The weather was very bad, so we stayed home all day.

2

The company suffered an awful loss during the financial crisis.

The company suffered a very large and bad loss during the financial crisis.

3

I feel awful about forgetting your birthday.

I feel very sorry and bad about forgetting your birthday.

Famille de mots

Nom
awfulness
Adverbe
awfully
Adjectif
awful
Apparenté
awe
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Astuce mémo

Think of the 'aw' sound people make when they see something sad or bad. A person who is 'full' of 'aw' is 'awful'.

Quiz rapide

The movie was so _____, we left the theater after only twenty minutes.

Correct !

La bonne réponse est : awful

Exemples

1

The weather was awful, so we stayed home all day.

everyday

The weather was very bad, so we stayed home all day.

2

The company suffered an awful loss during the financial crisis.

formal

The company suffered a very large and bad loss during the financial crisis.

3

I feel awful about forgetting your birthday.

informal

I feel very sorry and bad about forgetting your birthday.

4

The study describes the awful conditions in the urban slums of the 19th century.

academic

The study describes the extremely poor conditions in the urban slums of the 19th century.

5

It would be an awful mistake to cancel the contract now.

business

It would be a very serious and bad mistake to cancel the contract now.

Famille de mots

Nom
awfulness
Adverbe
awfully
Adjectif
awful
Apparenté
awe

Collocations courantes

awful weather very bad weather
feel awful to feel very sick or very sorry
awful smell a very unpleasant scent
awful mistake a very bad or serious error
look awful to appear very tired, sick, or unattractive

Phrases Courantes

an awful lot

a very large amount or a great deal

feel awful

to experience deep regret or physical illness

look awful

to seem very ill or in a bad state

Souvent confondu avec

awful vs awesome

Awful means very bad, while awesome means very good or impressive.

awful vs offal

Offal refers to the internal organs of an animal used as food, whereas awful is a description of quality.

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Notes d'usage

In modern English, awful is almost exclusively negative. While it originally meant 'inspiring awe,' using it to mean 'great' is now obsolete.

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Erreurs courantes

Learners often confuse 'awful' with 'awesome' because they share the same root. Remember: awful = bad, awesome = good.

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Astuce mémo

Think of the 'aw' sound people make when they see something sad or bad. A person who is 'full' of 'aw' is 'awful'.

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Origine du mot

Derived from the Old English 'egeful', meaning 'fearful or tending to cause fear'.

Modèles grammaticaux

Used as an adjective before a noun (e.g., 'an awful smell') Used after linking verbs like 'be', 'look', or 'feel' (e.g., 'the food was awful')
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Contexte culturel

In some US and UK dialects, 'awful' is used as an intensifier (e.g., 'that's awful kind of you'), though this is grammatically informal.

Quiz rapide

The movie was so _____, we left the theater after only twenty minutes.

Correct !

La bonne réponse est : awful

Expressions liées

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