awful
/ˈɑfəl/
adjectiveadverb
Core
1.adj.exceptionally bad or displeasing
“atrocious taste”
2.adj.causing fear or dread or terror
“the awful war”
3.adj.offensive or even (of persons) malicious
“in a nasty mood”
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awful and terribly share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. awful means “exceptionally bad or displeasing”. terribly means “used as intensifiers”. awful is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈɑfəl/
1.adj.exceptionally bad or displeasing
“atrocious taste”
2.adj.causing fear or dread or terror
“the awful war”
3.adj.offensive or even (of persons) malicious
“in a nasty mood”
/ˈtɛɹəbli/
1.adv.used as intensifiers
“terribly interesting”
2.adv.in a terrible manner
“she sings terribly”
| awful | terribly | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈɑfəl/ | /ˈtɛɹəbli/ |
| Said | AH-fuhl | TER-uh-blee |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Letters | 5 | 8 |
| Parts of speech | adjective, adverb | adverb |
| Senses | 7 | 2 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | atrocious, abominable, dreadful | awfully, awful, frightfully |
Full entry for awful · Full entry for terribly · More comparisons