adjective · B1 · often · UK/US

awful

awful

Meaning of awful

very bad

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B1often

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Pronunciation
EN-UK/ˈɔːfʊl/
EN-US/ˈɔfəl/
awful
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awful with Russian translation

awful usage examples

🇩🇪DE🇬🇧EN

The rain was awful today; my picnic got ruined.

🇩🇪DE🇬🇧EN

By evening the sky had turned awful with heavy clouds and a cold wind.

Learn by topic

awful belongs to the topic "Talking about Weather". Start with a short 7-word set so the word is easier to remember in context.

awfulfurchtbar
seasons of the yearJahreszeiten
springFrühling
winterWinter
longlang
endenden
temperatureTemperatur

awful synonyms

Related words worth learning together

terrible
Used for something very bad or unpleasant; slightly stronger or more emphatic.
dreadful
Strong negative term, slightly formal or old-fashioned; used for serious unpleasantness.
appalling
Strong, often formal word for something that shocks or horrifies.
atrocious
Extremely negative and strong; often used for shocking poor quality or cruelty.
abysmal
Denotes extremely poor quality or performance; strong negative evaluation.
Learn 5 related words for free
🇬🇧en

Used for something very bad or unpleasant; slightly stronger or more emphatic.

B1Very Often

The weather was terrible yesterday.

D
🇬🇧en
dreadful

Strong negative term, slightly formal or old-fashioned; used for serious unpleasantness.

B2Often

The weather was dreadful yesterday.

A
🇬🇧en
appalling

Strong, often formal word for something that shocks or horrifies.

C1Often

The conditions were appalling during the storm.

A
🇬🇧en
atrocious

Extremely negative and strong; often used for shocking poor quality or cruelty.

C1Rarely

The service was atrocious during the storm, and the weather didn't help.

A
🇬🇧en
abysmal

Denotes extremely poor quality or performance; strong negative evaluation.

C1Often

The visibility was abysmal during the fog.

🇬🇧en

General negative descriptor; less intense than 'awful'.

A1Very Often

The weather was bad yesterday.

S
🇬🇧en
scary

Focuses on fear or danger rather than general badness.

B1Often

The storm last night was scary.

G
🇬🇧en
ghastly

Literary or slightly old-fashioned; suggests shock or grimness.

C1Rarely

The rain made the whole scene look ghastly.

R
🇬🇧en
rotten

Colloquial; suggests something is very bad or unpleasant, sometimes morally bad.

B2Often

We had rotten weather all week.

L
🇬🇧en
lousy

Informal and somewhat mild; negative but often colloquial and not extremely strong.

B2Often

We had lousy weather during our holiday.

What's the difference

Related words and lists for awful

How to pronounce awful and what this word means

awful means awful. This page includes translation, pronunciation, transcription, audio, usage examples and related words.

how to pronounce awful

/ˈɔːfʊl/

awful translation

awful

awful examples

The rain was awful today; my picnic got ruined.

awful transcription

/ˈɔːfʊl/, /ˈɔfəl/

Questions about this word

awful meaning: what does it mean?

very bad

awful pronunciation: how do you pronounce it?

awful is pronounced as /ˈɔːfʊl/. Audio is available on this page when the word has a recording.

awful definition and sentence examples: how is it used in a sentence?

The rain was awful today; my picnic got ruined. Translation: Сегодня был ужасный дождь и мой пикник был испорчен.

Is awful part of Talking about Weather vocabulary?

Yes, awful can be learned in the Talking about Weather topic. This semantic link helps build related word lists and topic-based practice.

Is awful part of Weather and Seasons vocabulary?

Yes, awful can be learned in the Weather and Seasons topic. This semantic link helps build related word lists and topic-based practice.

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