awful
Very; extremely.
Also called awfully.
Updated September 21, 2026
awful pronunciation
/AW-ful/
Meaning
Here awful is a volume knob, not a complaint. Awful good means very good. Awful tired means worn out. The bad-day sense of awful still exists, but Southern and Appalachian talk often parks this word in front of almost any adjective and means "a whole lot."
How folks use it
- “That fried chicken was awful good.”
- “It's awful hot out there today.”
Origin and etymology
Awful started as "inspiring awe," then slid into everyday "very." By the late 1800s American speakers were calling themselves awful cold or awful jolly. Standard English kept leaning on the negative sense. Southern and Appalachian speech kept the intensifier alive in phrases like awful good and not too awful bad.
Frequently asked questions
Does awful good mean the food was bad?
No. In this use, awful just means very. Awful good is high praise.