/ Dictionary / Index A awful: Meaning and Definition of Find definitions for: aw•ful Pronunciation: (ô'ful), [key] — adj. extremely bad; unpleasant; ugly: awful paintings; an awful job. inspiring fear; dreadful; terrible: an awful noise. solemnly impressive; inspiring awe: the awful majesty of alpine peaks. full of awe; reverential. extremely dangerous, risky, injurious, etc.: That was an awful fall she had. He took an awful chance by driving here so fast. —adv. very; extremely: He did an awful good job of painting the barn. It's awful hot in here. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease. See also: awful (Thesaurus) awe-struck awfully Related Content Daily Word Quiz: pundit Analogy of the Day: Today’s Analogy Spelling Bee: Today’s Spelling Bee Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language