Adjective
They heard the most awful sounds.
Awful things began to happen.
He has some awful disease.
That joke is just awful.
That’s an awful thing to say.
Who painted the house that awful color?
The mountains have an awful majesty.
Adverb
We haven’t heard from him in an awful long time.
You’ve come an awful long way.
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
The viewer can’t help but suffer with them, even as the episode scrupulously reminds you of precisely how awful Logan was and remains.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2023
His and the other seven members of Gwar, which is arguably the weirdest metal band in the history of the genre, and that is saying an awful lot.
—Jackson Landers, SPIN, 10 Apr. 2023
On Wednesday, Substack announced its Notes feature, which sounds an awful lot like Twitter.
—Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, 7 Apr. 2023
Their opponents were that awful.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2023
The world has been learning an awful lot about artificial intelligence lately, thanks to the arrival of eerily human-like chatbots.
—Christopher Mims, WSJ, 1 Apr. 2023
There’s an awful lot of hope in Ireland.
—Kevin Fisher-paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2023
The whole production may be tacky, but the plot line is simply awful.
—Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Mar. 2023
UConn kept up the pressure and kept making shots, blowing out yet another opponent and looking an awful lot like the favorite to win it all.
—John Marshall, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2023
Someone who has worked awful hard, has a great skill set, four years of college, four years of lifting, four years of game-planning at a high level in Division III.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 26 May 2022
First, there is the question whether the awful-looking restraint maneuver Chauvin used was actually authorized at the time, or at least not clearly forbidden.
—D.j. Tice, Star Tribune, 20 Feb. 2021
The following day, Gonzalez was back at the testing site, helping patients — many of whom had fevers and awful-sounding coughs — fill out their paperwork.
—Karen Ann Cullotta, chicagotribune.com, 2 Oct. 2020
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘awful.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
-
Defenition of the word awful
- Dreadful; causing alarm and fear.
- inspiring awe or admiration or wonder; «New York is an amazing city»; «the Grand Canyon is an awe-inspiring sight»; «the awesome complexity of the universe»; «this sea, whose gently awful stirrings seem to speak of some hidden soul beneath»- Melville; «Westminster Hall’s awing majesty, so vast, so high, so silent»
- exceptionally bad or displeasing; «atrocious taste»; «abominable workmanship»; «an awful voice»; «dreadful manners»; «a painful performance»; «terrible handwriting»; «an unspeakable odor came sweeping into the room»
- inspired by a feeling of fearful wonderment or reverence; «awed by the silence»; «awful worshippers with bowed heads»
- causing fear or dread or terror; «the awful war»; «an awful risk»; «dire news»; «a career or vengeance so direful that London was shocked»; «the dread presence of the headmaster»; «polio is no longer the dreaded disease it once was»; «a dreadful storm»; «a fearful howling»; «horrendous explosions shook the city»; «a terrible curse»
- offensive or even (of persons) malicious; «in a nasty mood»; «a nasty accident»; «a nasty shock»; «a nasty smell»; «a nasty trick to pull»; «Will he say nasty things at my funeral?»- Ezra Pound
- (informal) used as intensifiers, as in «terribly interesting»; «I’m awful sorry»
- causing fear or dread or terror; «the awful war»; «an awful risk»; «dire news»; «a career or vengeance so direful that London was shocked»; «the dread presence of the headmaster»; «polio is no longer the dreaded disease it once was»; «a dreadful storm»; «
- inspiring awe or admiration or wonder; «New York is an amazing city»; «the Grand Canyon is an awe-inspiring sight»; «the awesome complexity of the universe»; «this sea, whose gently awful stirrings seem to speak of some hidden soul beneath»- Melville; «We
- used as intensifiers; «terribly interesting»; «I»m awful sorry»
- causing fear or dread or terror
- exceptionally bad or displeasing
- inspiring awe or admiration or wonder
- offensive or even (of persons) malicious
- extreme in degree or extent or amount or impact
- inspired by a feeling of fearful wonderment or reverence
- used as intensifiers
Synonyms for the word awful
-
- abominable
- amazing
- appalling
- atrocious
- awe-inspiring
- awed
- awesome
- awfully
- awing
- bad
- dire
- direful
- dread
- dreaded
- dreadful
- fearful
- fearsome
- frightening
- frightful
- frightfully
- horrendous
- horrific
- nasty
- painful
- poor
- terrible
- terribly
- tremendous
- unpleasant
- unspeakable
Similar words in the awful
-
- alarming
- awful
- awfuller
- awfullest
- awfulness
- awfulness’s
- bad
- dirty
- filthy
- grotty
- hateful
- impressive
- lousy
- mean
- reverent
- spiteful
- unpleasant
Antonyms for the word awful
-
- delicious
- nice
- pleasant
See other words
-
- What is feno
- The definition of aseptic
- The interpretation of the word ascendent
- What is meant by fato
- The lexical meaning noventa
- The dictionary meaning of the word arrested
- The grammatical meaning of the word around-the-clock
- Meaning of the word arid
- Literal and figurative meaning of the word ardent
- The origin of the word figueira
- Synonym for the word ovo
- Antonyms for the word backwards
- Homonyms for the word pai
- Hyponyms for the word paleontologia
- Holonyms for the word bang-up
- Hypernyms for the word bare-bones
- Proverbs and sayings for the word flauta
- Translation of the word in other languages biographical
aw·ful
(ô′fəl)
adj.
1. Extremely bad or unpleasant; terrible: had an awful day at the office.
2. Commanding awe: «this sea, whose gently awful stirrings seem to speak of some hidden soul beneath» (Herman Melville).
3. Filled with awe, especially:
a. Filled with or displaying great reverence.
b. Obsolete Afraid.
4. Formidable in nature or extent: an awful burden; an awful risk.
adv. Informal
Extremely; very: was awful sick.
[Middle English aweful, awe-inspiring, blend of awe, awe; see awe, and *ayfull, awful (from Old English egefull : ege, dread + -full, -ful).]
aw′ful·ly adv.
aw′ful·ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
awful
(ˈɔːfʊl)
adj
1. very bad; unpleasant
2. archaic inspiring reverence or dread
3. archaic overcome with awe; reverential
adv
not standard (intensifier): an awful cold day.
[C13: see awe, -ful]
ˈawfulness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
aw•ful
(ˈɔ fəl)
adj.
1. extremely bad; unpleasant; disagreeable.
2. inspiring fear; terrible: an awful noise.
3. solemnly impressive: the awful majesty of the peaks.
4. extremely dangerous, risky, injurious, etc.: an awful fall; to take an awful chance.
5. Informal. very great: an awful lot of money.
6. full of awe; reverential.
adv.
7. Informal. very; extremely: It’s awful hot here.
[1200–50; Middle English a(g)heful, aueful. See awe, ful]
aw′ful•ness, n.
usage: Although some object to any use of awful or awfully in any sense not connected with a feeling of awe, both have been used in other senses for several centuries. awful and awfully as adverbial intensifiers — awful(ly) clever; awful(ly) cold — appear in the early 19th century, following much the same pattern as horribly and dreadfully. In the sense “inspiring awe or fear” awesome has largely replaced awful.
Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj. | 1. | abominable, atrocious, dreadful, terrible, unspeakable, painful bad — having undesirable or negative qualities; «a bad report card»; «his sloppy appearance made a bad impression»; «a bad little boy»; «clothes in bad shape»; «a bad cut»; «bad luck»; «the news was very bad»; «the reviews were bad»; «the pay is bad»; «it was a bad light for reading»; «the movie was a bad choice» |
2. | direful, dread, dreaded, dreadful, fearsome, frightening, horrendous, terrible, dire, horrific, fearful alarming — frightening because of an awareness of danger |
|
3. | nasty unpleasant — disagreeable to the senses, to the mind, or feelings ; «an unpleasant personality»; «unpleasant repercussions»; «unpleasant odors» |
|
4. | awed reverent — feeling or showing profound respect or veneration; «maintained a reverent silence» |
|
5. | awful — extreme in degree or extent or amount or impact; «in a frightful hurry»; «spent a frightful amount of money»
frightful, tremendous, terrible colloquialism — a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech extraordinary — beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable; «extraordinary authority»; «an extraordinary achievement»; «her extraordinary beauty»; «enjoyed extraordinary popularity»; «an extraordinary capacity for work»; «an extraordinary session of the legislature» |
|
6. | awe-inspiring, awesome, awing, amazing impressive — making a strong or vivid impression; «an impressive ceremony» |
|
Adv. | 1. | awful — used as intensifiers; «terribly interesting»; «I’m awful sorry»
awfully, frightfully, terribly colloquialism — a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
awful
adjective
1. disgusting, terrible, tremendous, offensive, gross, nasty, foul, horrible, dreadful, unpleasant, revolting, stinking, sickening, hideous, vulgar, vile, distasteful, horrid, frightful, nauseating, odious, repugnant, loathsome, abominable, nauseous, detestable, godawful (slang), hellacious (U.S. slang) an awful smell of paint
2. bad, poor, terrible, appalling, foul, rubbish (slang), shit (taboo slang), dreadful, unpleasant, dire, crap (taboo slang), horrendous, ghastly, from hell (informal), atrocious, deplorable, abysmal, frightful, shite (taboo slang), hellacious (U.S. slang) Even if the weather’s awful there’s still lots to do.
bad great (informal), wonderful, excellent, brilliant, amazing, smashing (informal), superb, fantastic, tremendous, magnificent, fabulous (informal), marvellous, terrific, sensational (informal), miraculous, super (informal)
4. unwell, poorly (informal), ill, terrible, sick, ugly, crook (Austral. & N.Z. informal), unhealthy, unsightly, queasy, out of sorts (informal), off-colour, under the weather (informal), green about the gills I looked awful and felt quite sleepy.
adverb
1. very, highly, really, deeply, particularly, seriously (informal), truly, extremely, absolutely, terribly, remarkably, unusually, jolly (Brit.), wonderfully, profoundly, decidedly, awfully (informal), acutely, exceedingly, excessively, eminently, superlatively, uncommonly Gosh, you’re awful pretty.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
awful
adjectiveadverb
Informal. To a high degree:
awfully, dreadfully, eminently, exceedingly, exceptionally, extra, extremely, greatly, highly, most, notably, very.
Chiefly Regional: mighty.
The American Heritage® Roget’s Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
شَنِيعفَظيع، سَيء جِداًمُفْزِع، مُرْعِبهائِل، عَظيم
hroznýnesmírnýprudkýstrašný
forfærdeligfrygteligrædselsfuld
kauhea
strašan
hræîilegurofboîslegur; hræîilegurógurlegur, hræîilegur
ひどい
몹시 나쁜
baisiaibaisumasbaisussiaubas
ārkārtīgsbriesmīgsšausmīgs
grozenstrašen
fruktansvärd
แย่มาก
kinh khủng
awful
[ˈɔːfəl]
B. ADV (esp US) ten years is an awful long time → diez años es un montón de tiempo
it’s an awful long way to go → está lejísimo
it’s awful cold outside → fuera hace un frío horroroso
Collins Spanish Dictionary — Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
awful
[ˈɔːfʊl]
adj
(as intensifier) an awful lot of → énormément de
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
awful
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
awful
(ˈoːful) adjective
1. very great. an awful rush.
2. very bad. This book is awful; an awful experience.
3. severe. an awful headache.
ˈawfully adverbˈawfulness noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
awful
→ شَنِيع hrozný rædselsfuld schrecklich φρικτός espantoso kauhea affreux strašan orribile ひどい 몹시 나쁜 afschuwelijk skrekkelig straszny horrível ужасный fruktansvärd แย่มาก berbat kinh khủng 糟糕的
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
awful
a. terrible, desagradable; tremendo-a;
how ___ → ¡qué ___!
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
- What awful weather!
Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
-
1
awful
2) внуша́ющий страх, благогове́ние
3)
поэт.
,
уст.
внуша́ющий глубо́кое уваже́ние; вели́чественный
Англо-русский словарь Мюллера > awful
-
2
awful
Персональный Сократ > awful
-
3
awful
[‘ɔːʃ(ə)l]
adj
ужасный, страшный
The situation is awful for all of us. — Ситуация ужасна для всех нас.
It was awful to work there. — Работать там было ужасно.
It’s awful that they were reprimanded because of my mistake. — Как ужасно, что они получили выговор из-за моей ошибки.
I feel awful about it. — Мне ужасно неловко/стыдно/неприятно.
It was awful to watch the ship sinking. — Ужасно было наблюдать, как тонет корабль.
It was an absolutely awful day. — Это был совершенно ужасный день.
He talked a lot of awful nonsense. — Он нес/болтал ужасную чепуху.
She looks awful in that dress. — Она безобразно выглядит в этом платье.
The war was awful for our economy. — Война губительно отразилась на нашем хозяйстве.
— awful tragedy
— awful moment
— awful weatherUSAGE:
English-Russian combinatory dictionary > awful
-
4
awful
The new dictionary of modern spoken language > awful
-
5
awful
1. [ʹɔ:f(ə)l]
1) ужасный, отвратительный
awful manners [handwriting, storm] — ужасные манеры [-ый почерк, -ая буря]
to be awful about the matter /the affair/ — отвратительно вести себя в этом деле
to be awful for the health [for smb.’s future] — быть губительным для здоровья [для чьего-л. будущего]
2) огромный
2. 1) ужасный, страшный
his sufferings were awful to behold — на его страдания было невозможно смотреть без ужаса
2) внушающий страх, благоговение
3.
, поэт. величественный
2. [ʹɔ:f(ə)l]
разг.
1) очень, весьма
2) ужасно
НБАРС > awful
-
6
awful
1. a эмоц. -усил. ужасный, отвратительный
2. a эмоц. -усил. огромный
3. a эмоц. -усил. ужасный, страшный
4. a эмоц. -усил. внушающий страх, благоговение
5. a эмоц. -усил. арх. поэт. величественный
6. adv разг. очень, весьма
7. adv разг. ужасно
Синонимический ряд:
1. atrocious (adj.) atrocious; gruesome; heinous; monstrous
2. bad (adj.) bad; disagreeable; unpleasant
3. fearful (adj.) alarming; appalling; dire; direful; disgusting; dreadful; fearful; fearsome; formidable; frightening; frightful; ghastly; horrendous; horrible; horrific; offensive; redoubtable; repulsive; shocking; terrible; terrific; tremendous
4. very (other) awfully; considerably; enormously; especially; exceedingly; exceptionally; extra; extraordinarily; extremely; highly; immensely; jolly; mighty; particularly; quite; rather; really; remarkably; specially; too; tremendously; very
Антонимический ряд:
delightful; enjoyable; pleasing; wonderful
English-Russian base dictionary > awful
-
7
awful
ужасный
имя прилагательное:наречие:
Англо-русский синонимический словарь > awful
-
8
awful
Большой англо-русский и русско-английский словарь > awful
-
9
awful
[‘ɔːf(ə)l], [-ful]
прил.
1) страшный, ужасный, отвратительный
The situation is awful for all of us. — Ситуация ужасна для всех нас.
It was awful to work there. — Работать там было отвратительно.
It’s awful that they were reprimanded because of my mistake. — Ужасно, что они получили выговор из-за моей ошибки.
Syn:
2) внушающий страх, благоговение
Англо-русский современный словарь > awful
-
10
awful
[ˈɔ:ful]
awful уст. внушающий глубокое уважение; величественный awful внушающий страх, благоговение awful ужасный
English-Russian short dictionary > awful
-
11
awful
[‘ɔ:fəl]
adj
1) ужасный, страшный
2000 самых употребительных английских слов > awful
-
12
awful
English-Russian phrases dictionary > awful
-
13
awful
English-Russian big medical dictionary > awful
-
14
awful
[‘ɔːf(ə)l]
1) Общая лексика: безбожный, величественный, весьма, внушающий благоговение, внушающий глубокое уважение, внушающий почтение, внушающий страх, вызывающий благоговение, вызывающий страх, вызывающий страх или благоговение, зверский, кошмарный, неслыханный, отвратительный, очень, страшный, ужасно, ужасный, чрезвычайный
Универсальный англо-русский словарь > awful
-
15
awful
[`ɔːfʊl]
страшный, ужасный
внушающий страх, благоговение
внушающий глубокое уважение; величественный
Англо-русский большой универсальный переводческий словарь > awful
-
16
awful
adjective
1) ужасный
2) внушающий страх, благоговение
3)
obsolete
внушающий глубокое уважение; величественный
* * *
(a) отвратительный; страшный; ужасный
* * *
* * *
[aw·ful || ‘ɔːfʊl]
ужасный, внушающий страх, вызывающий страх; внушающий благоговение, внушающий глубокое уважение, величественный* * *
благоговение
величественный
ужасен
ужасный
* * *
1) страшный
2) внушающий страх
3) устар. внушающий глубокое уважениеНовый англо-русский словарь > awful
-
17
awful
English-Russian word troubles > awful
-
18
awful
English-Russian dictionary of technical terms > awful
-
19
awful
The Americanisms. English-Russian dictionary. > awful
-
20
awful
благоговение
величественный
ужасен
ужасный
English-Russian smart dictionary > awful
Страницы
- Следующая →
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См. также в других словарях:
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Awful — means extremely bad, unpleasant, or terrible; also amazing, full of awe, awe inspiring, awesome Awful may also mean: * Awful (song), a 1999 single by the band Hole * Awful Orphan , a 1949 cartoon * Awful Gardner, a notorious gambler * Awful End … Wikipedia
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Awful — Aw ful, a. 1. Oppressing with fear or horror; appalling; terrible; as, an awful scene. The hour of Nature s awful throes. Hemans. [1913 Webster] 2. Inspiring awe; filling with profound reverence, or with fear and admiration; fitted to inspire… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
-
awful — 1. There are two main stages in the development of this word from its primary meaning (which goes back to the time of King Alfred) of ‘inspiring awe’. First, from about 1800 it came to mean ‘very bad’ (as in awful weather, an awful time); then… … Modern English usage
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Awful — «Awful» Single de Hole del álbum Celebrity Skin Formato CD, 7 Grabación 1998 Género(s) Rock alternativo , power pop … Wikipedia Español
-
awful — [ô′fəl] adj. [ME awful, agheful: see AWE & FUL] 1. inspiring awe; highly impressive 2. causing fear; terrifying 3. dreadful; appalling 4. full of awe; reverential 5. very bad, ugly, unpleasant, etc … English World dictionary
-
awful — ► ADJECTIVE 1) very bad or unpleasant. 2) used for emphasis: an awful lot. 3) archaic inspiring awe. DERIVATIVES awfulness noun … English terms dictionary
-
awful — index dire, heinous, lamentable Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
-
awful — (adj.) c.1300, agheful worthy of respect or fear, from aghe, an earlier form of AWE (Cf. awe), + FUL (Cf. ful). Replaced O.E. egefull. Weakened sense very bad is from 1809; weakened sense of exceedingly is by 1818 … Etymology dictionary
-
awful — *fearful, dreadful, frightful, terrible, horrible, shocking, appalling, terrific, horrific Analogous words: impressive, *moving: solemn, *serious, grave: imposing, august, majestic (see GRAND): sublime, superb, *splendid: *ominous … New Dictionary of Synonyms
-
awful — [adj] very bad; terrible abominable, alarming, appalling, atrocious, deplorable, depressing, dire, disgusting, distressing, dreadful, fearful, frightful, ghastly, grody*, gross*, gruesome, grungy*, harrowing, hideous, horrendous, horrible,… … New thesaurus
-
awful — aw|ful1 [ ɔfl ] adjective ** used for emphasizing how unpleasant someone or something is: TERRIBLE: The smell was absolutely awful. This wine tastes awful. He had the awful feeling that everyone was laughing at him. There were these awful people… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
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WordReference Random House Learner’s Dictionary of American English © 2023
aw•ful /ˈɔfəl/USA pronunciation
adj.
- extremely bad;
unpleasant;
disagreeable:the awful smell of gas. - causing shock or fear;
dreadful;
terrible:an awful accident. - Informal. very great:[before a noun]knows an awful lot about art.
adv.
- Informal TermsInformal. very;
extremely;
awfully: It’s awful hot in here.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2023
aw•ful
(ô′fəl),USA pronunciation 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.
- [Informal.]very;
extremely:He did an awful good job of painting the barn. It’s awful hot in here.
- 1200–50; Middle English a(g)heful, aueful; see awe, —ful; replacing Old English egefull dreadful
aw′ful•ness, n.
- Although some object to any use of awful or awfully in any sense not connected with a feeling of awe, both have been used in other senses for several centuries. Awful and awfully as adverbial intensifiers —awful (ly) hot; awful (ly) cold—appear in the early 19th century, following much the same pattern ashorribly anddreadfully. As an adverb awful is less formal in tone than awfully. In the sense «inspiring awe or fear» awesome has largely replaced awful.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
awful /ˈɔːfʊl/ adj
- very bad; unpleasant
- archaic inspiring reverence or dread
- archaic overcome with awe; reverential
adv
- not standard (intensifier): an awful cold day
Etymology: 13th Century: see awe, -ful
ˈawfulness n
‘awful‘ also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
ужасный, внушающий страх, очень
прилагательное ↓
- ужасный, отвратительный
awful manners [handwriting, storm] — ужасные манеры [-ый почерк, -ая буря]
to be awful about the matter /the affair/ — отвратительно вести себя в этом деле
to be awful for the health [for smb.’s future] — быть губительным для здоровья [для чьего-л. будущего]
- огромный
they took an awful chance — они пошли на огромный риск
- ужасный, страшный
awful tragedy — ужасная трагедия
to die an awful death — умереть мучительной смертью
his sufferings were awful to behold — на его страдания было невозможно смотреть без ужаса
- внушающий страх, благоговение
to be in awful fear — испытывать благоговейный страх
- арх., поэт. величественный
awful sight — величественное зрелище
наречие ↓
- разг. очень, весьма
he did an awful good job of this — он прекрасно выполнил эту работу
- ужасно
to be awful tired — ужасно устать
Мои примеры
Словосочетания
an awful pong in the fridge — ужасная вонь в холодильнике
the poor face with the same awful waxen pallor as before — лицо бедняжки, столь же ужасающе восково-бледное, как и прежде
awful / crying / dirty shame — ужасный стыд, чудовищный позор
awful truth — страшная правда
awful manners — ужасные манеры
to be awful for the health — быть губительным для здоровья
an awful deal of time — ужасно много времени
an awful deal — ужасно много
die an awful death — умереть мучительной смертью
be in awful fear — испытывать благоговейный страх
teapot fell with an awful smash — чайник упал с ужасным грохотом
sit through an awful film — высидеть до конца ужасного фильма
Примеры с переводом
The weather was awful.
Погода была ужасная.
I’m awful sorry.
Мне очень жаль.
Oh, how awful!
Ой, какой ужас!
That joke is just awful.
Эта шутка — просто ужас.
My old boss was awful!
Мой прежний начальник был ужасен!
He is a pretty awful driver.
Он довольно ужасный водитель.
«What’s that smell?» «I don’t know, but whatever it is, it’s awful!»
«Чем это пахнет?» «Я не знаю, но что бы это ни было, пахнет это ужасно!»
ещё 23 примера свернуть
Примеры, ожидающие перевода
This awful film has ‘career-killer’ written all over it for the actors involved.
Для того чтобы добавить вариант перевода, кликните по иконке ☰, напротив примера.
Возможные однокоренные слова
awfully — ужасно, очень, чрезвычайно, крайне, несказанно
Describe something that is exceptionally bad as awful, but be careful: Saying your mom’s cooking is awful may be truthful, but it’s also likely to get you a frying pan upside the head.
In addition to meaning exceptionally bad, the adjective awful can also mean exceedingly large or extreme in degree. That new car costs an awful lot of money, for example. Perhaps you should think about a bus pass or bicycle instead! As an adverb, awful is used as an intensifier, meaning very. As in, «It’s taking you an awful long time to finish that paper. Stop procrastinating.»
Definitions of awful
-
adjective
exceptionally bad or displeasing
“an
awful voice”-
synonyms:
abominable, abysmal, atrocious, dreadful, painful, terrible, unspeakable, vile
-
bad
having undesirable or negative qualities
-
bad
-
adjective
offensive or even (of persons) malicious
-
synonyms:
nasty
-
dirty, filthy, lousy
vile; despicable
-
grotty
very unpleasant or offensive
-
hateful, mean
characterized by malice
-
unpleasant
disagreeable to the senses, to the mind, or feelings
-
dirty, filthy, lousy
-
adjective
causing fear or dread or terror
“the
awful war”“an
awful risk”-
synonyms:
dire, direful, dread, dreaded, dreadful, fearful, fearsome, frightening, horrendous, horrific, terrible
-
alarming
frightening because of an awareness of danger
-
alarming
-
adjective
extreme in degree or extent or amount or impact
-
synonyms:
frightful, terrible, tremendous
-
extraordinary
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
-
extraordinary
-
adverb
used as intensifiers
“I’m
awful sorry”-
synonyms:
awfully, frightfully, terribly
-
adjective
inspiring awe or admiration or wonder
“»this sea, whose gently
awful stirrings seem to speak of some hidden soul beneath»- Melville”-
synonyms:
amazing, awe-inspiring, awesome, awing
-
impressive
making a strong or vivid impression
-
impressive
-
adjective
inspired by a feeling of fearful wonderment or reverence
“awful worshippers with bowed heads”
-
synonyms:
awed
-
reverent
feeling or showing profound respect or veneration
-
reverent
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘awful’.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
- awfull (archaic), aweful (obsolete), awefull (obsolete)
Etymology[edit]
From Middle English agheful, awfull, auful, aȝefull, equivalent to awe + -ful. Compare Old English eġeful, eġefull (“terrifying; awful”).
Pronunciation[edit]
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈɔːfʊl/, /ˈɔːfəl/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈɔfəl/
- (cot–caught merger) IPA(key): /ˈɑfəl/
- Rhymes: -ɔːfʊl
- Homophone: offal (in dialects with the cot-caught merger)
Adjective[edit]
awful (comparative awfuller or more awful, superlative awfullest or most awful)
- Very bad.
- The smell of my socks is awful.
- We saw such an awful film last night that we left the theater before the end.
- Exceedingly great; usually applied intensively.
- an awful bonnet
- I have learnt an awful amount today.
-
2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Normandy SR-2 AI Core Room:
-
Shepard: You seem to know an awful lot about me.
Geth: Extranet data sources. Insecure broadcasts. All organic data sent out is received. We watch you.
-
- (dated) Causing fear or horror; appalling, terrible.
- 1839, J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Schalken the Painter
- There was an air of gravity and importance about the garb of the person, and something indescribably odd, I might say awful, in the perfect, stonelike stillness of the figure, that effectually checked the testy comment which had at once risen to the lips of the irritated artist.
- 1839, J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Schalken the Painter
- (now rare) Inspiring awe; filling with profound reverence or respect; profoundly impressive.
- Alternative form: awe-ful
-
1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 56, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book I, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
-
God ought not to be commixed in our actions, but with awful reverence, and an attention full of honour and respect.
-
- 1819, Lord Byron, Don Juan, II.143:
- And then she stopped, and stood as if in awe / (For sleep is awful) […].
-
1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 124:
-
If the keepers of the sacred corral discovered paternity in their stock breeding, then that knowledge would have been seen as numinous, awe-ful, and unconsciously unsettling.
-
- (now rare) Struck or filled with awe or reverence.
-
1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 2, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC:
-
She spoke about Mr. Pendennis (a worthy little gentleman enough, but there are others as good as he) with an awful reverence, as if he had been the Pope of Rome on his throne, and she a cardinal kneeling at his feet, and giving him incense.
-
-
- (obsolete) Terror-stricken.
Synonyms[edit]
- See also Thesaurus:frightening
Derived terms[edit]
- awfully
- awfulness
- god-awful
- something awful
Translations[edit]
very bad
- Arabic: فَظِيع (faẓīʕ), أَرْبَد (ʔarbad)
- Armenian: ահավոր (hy) (ahavor)
- Bulgarian: ужасен (bg) (užasen), отвратителен (bg) (otvratitelen)
- Catalan: horrorós
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 壞/坏 (zh) (huài), 糟糕 (zh) (zāogāo)
- Czech: děsný (cs), strašný (cs)
- Finnish: kauhea (fi), hirveä (fi), kamala (fi), karmea (fi), kaamea (fi)
- French: affreux (fr), horrible (fr), immonde (fr), épouvantable (fr)
- Greek: απαίσιος (el) (apaísios), φρικτός (el) (friktós)
- Hebrew: נורא (he) m (norá), נוראי m (noraí), איום (he) m (ayóm)
- Italian: pessimo (it), terribile (it), orribile (it)
- Latin: dīrus
- Malay: teruk (ms)
- Polish: okropny (pl), straszliwy (pl), ohydny (pl)
- Portuguese: horrível (pt), terrível (pt), péssimo (pt)
- Russian: ужа́сный (ru) (užásnyj)
- Spanish: horrible (es), terrible (es)
- Swedish: hemsk (sv), ohygglig (sv)
exceedingly great
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 非常 (zh) (fēicháng) (no equivalent exists; lit. «extremely»)
- Finnish: mahtava (fi)
- Greek: τρομερός (el) (tromerós), φοβερός (el) (foverós)
- Italian: impressionante (it)
- Russian: please add this translation if you can
causing fear; appalling; terrible
- Armenian: ահավոր (hy) (ahavor), ահարկու (hy) (aharku), ահեղ (hy) (aheł), սարսափելի (hy) (sarsapʿeli)
- Belarusian: жахлі́вы (žaxlívy)
- Bulgarian: страшен (bg) (strašen), ужасен (bg) (užasen)
- Catalan: horrorós
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 厲害/厉害 (zh) (lìhài), 可怕 (zh) (kěpà)
- Dutch: verschrikkelijk (nl), vreselijk (nl), afgrijselijk (nl)
- Esperanto: aĉa (eo)
- Finnish: kauhea (fi), hirveä (fi), kamala (fi), karmea (fi), kaamea (fi), hirvittävä (fi), kauhistuttava (fi)
- French: terrible (fr), épouvantable (fr), horrible (fr)
- Georgian: please add this translation if you can
- German: schrecklich (de), furchtbar (de)
- Greek: απαίσιος (el) (apaísios)
- Hebrew: איום (he) m pl (ayóm)
- Hungarian: szörnyű (hu), rémes (hu), borzalmas (hu), borzasztó (hu), rettenetes (hu)
- Irish: uafásach
- Italian: orribile (it)
- Japanese: 怖い (ja)
- Khmer: ឃោរ (km) (kʰoo), ភយង្ករ (km) (pʰea’yʊəŋkɑɑ)
- Latin: dīrus
- Lithuanian: baisus
- Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
- Navajo: hóyééʼ
- Norwegian: grusom, forferdelig (no)
- Portuguese: horrível (pt), terrível (pt), medonho (pt), apavorante, temível (pt)
- Romanian: oribil (ro), teribil (ro), atroce (ro), îngrozitor (ro)
- Russian: ужа́сный (ru) (užásnyj), устраша́ющий (ru) (ustrašájuščij), ужаса́ющий (ru) (užasájuščij)
- Scottish Gaelic: sgriosail
- Spanish: horrible (es), terrible (es), atroz (es), espantoso (es)
- Swedish: hemsk (sv), fasansfull (sv), fruktansvärd (sv)
- Thai: please add this translation if you can
- Turkish: berbat (tr)
- Vietnamese: khủng khiếp (vi)
- Welsh: ofnadwy (cy), uthr
inspiring awe
- Bulgarian: внушаващ страх (vnušavašt strah)
- Catalan: horrorós
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 令人驚嘆的/令人惊叹的 (lìng rén jīngtàn de)
- Finnish: hämmästyttävä (fi)
- Greek: τρομερός (el) (tromerós)
- Portuguese: temível (pt)
- Romanian: înfiorător (ro), impresionant (ro)
- Russian: please add this translation if you can
struck or filled with awe
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: please add this translation if you can
- Finnish: hämmästynyt (fi)
- Russian: please add this translation if you can
Translations to be checked
- Dutch: (please verify) vreselijk (nl)
- Georgian: (please verify) საშინელი (sašineli)
- German: (please verify) schrecklich (de) (1), (please verify) furchtbar (de) (1), (please verify) ehrfurchtsvoll (de) (2), (please verify) riesig (de) (6), (please verify) unglaublich (de) (6)
- Japanese: (please verify) 大変な (ja) (taihen na)
- Latgalian: (please verify) vuosmeigs, (please verify) baimeigs, (please verify) buodrys
- Latvian: (please verify) šausmīgs
- Norwegian: (please verify) forferdelig (no), (please verify) fryktelig, (please verify) grusom
- Romanian: (please verify) oribil (ro), (please verify) groaznic (ro), (please verify) îngrozitor (ro), (please verify) teribil (ro)
- Scots: (please verify) awfu, (please verify) bowkin
- Spanish: (please verify) horrible (es), (please verify) espantoso (es), (please verify) terrible (es), (please verify) tremendo (es)
- Swedish: (please verify) hemsk (sv)
- Turkish: (please verify) iğrenç (tr)
Adverb[edit]
awful (not comparable)
- (colloquial) Awfully; dreadfully; terribly.
-
1933 January 21, The Sydney Sportsman, page 1:
-
The race was run, and the dog ran «awful«.
-
-
- (colloquial, US, Canada) Very, extremely.
- That’s an awful big house.
- She seemed awful nice when I met her yesterday.
- He was blubbering away something awful.
Translations[edit]
colloquial: very, extremely
- Bulgarian: ужасно (bg) (užasno) (разг.)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 很 (zh) (hěn), 非常 (zh) (fēicháng)
- Dutch: verschrikkelijk (nl), vreselijk (nl), ontzettend (nl), onmeunig (dialectal)
- Finnish: kauhea (fi), hirveä (fi)
- Greek: φοβερά (el) (foverá)
- Hebrew: נוֹרָא (he) (norá)
- Italian: tremendamente (it), spaventosamente (it), terribilmente (it)
- Russian: ужа́сно (ru) (užásno), стра́шно (ru) (strášno)
- Swedish: väldigt (sv)
See also[edit]
- awfully
Further reading[edit]
- awful in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- “awful”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
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Being a funny person does an awful lot of things to you. You feel that you mustn’t get serious with people. They don’t expect it from you, and they don’t want to see it. You’re not entitled to be serious, you’re a clown.
Fanny Brice
ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD AWFUL
See awe, -ful.
Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
PRONUNCIATION OF AWFUL
GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF AWFUL
Awful can act as an adjective and an adverb.
The adjective is the word that accompanies the noun to determine or qualify it.
The adverb is an invariable part of the sentence that can change, explain or simplify a verb or another adverb.
WHAT DOES AWFUL MEAN IN ENGLISH?
Awful
Awful means extremely unpleasant, or of poor quality; also amazing, full of awe, awe-inspiring, awesome Awful may also mean: ▪ «Awful», a 1999 single by the band Hole ▪ Awful Orphan, a 1949 cartoon ▪ Awful Gardner, a notorious gambler ▪ Awful End, a 2002 children’s novel ▪ «Awful, Beautiful Life», a song by Darryl Worley ▪ Awful Mess Mystery, a Wolfie album ▪ The Awful DYNNE, a character from The Phantom Tollbooth ▪ The Awful Truth, a 1937 comedy ▪ Something Awful, a comedy website…
Definition of awful in the English dictionary
The first definition of awful in the dictionary is very bad; unpleasant. Other definition of awful is inspiring reverence or dread. Awful is also overcome with awe; reverential.
WORDS THAT RHYME WITH AWFUL
Synonyms and antonyms of awful in the English dictionary of synonyms
SYNONYMS OF «AWFUL»
The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «awful» and belong to the same grammatical category.
Translation of «awful» into 25 languages
TRANSLATION OF AWFUL
Find out the translation of awful to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of awful from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «awful» in English.
Translator English — Chinese
糟糕的
1,325 millions of speakers
Translator English — Spanish
espantoso
570 millions of speakers
English
awful
510 millions of speakers
Translator English — Hindi
भयंकर
380 millions of speakers
Translator English — Arabic
شَنِيع
280 millions of speakers
Translator English — Russian
ужасный
278 millions of speakers
Translator English — Portuguese
horrível
270 millions of speakers
Translator English — Bengali
ভয়াবহ, আতঙ্কজনক
260 millions of speakers
Translator English — French
affreux
220 millions of speakers
Translator English — Malay
Mengerikan
190 millions of speakers
Translator English — German
schrecklich
180 millions of speakers
Translator English — Japanese
ひどい
130 millions of speakers
Translator English — Korean
몹시 나쁜
85 millions of speakers
Translator English — Javanese
Awake dhewe
85 millions of speakers
Translator English — Vietnamese
kinh khủng
80 millions of speakers
Translator English — Tamil
மோசமான
75 millions of speakers
Translator English — Marathi
भीषण
75 millions of speakers
Translator English — Turkish
korkunç
70 millions of speakers
Translator English — Italian
orribile
65 millions of speakers
Translator English — Polish
straszny
50 millions of speakers
Translator English — Ukrainian
жахливий
40 millions of speakers
Translator English — Romanian
groaznic
30 millions of speakers
Translator English — Greek
φρικτός
15 millions of speakers
Translator English — Afrikaans
verskriklik
14 millions of speakers
Translator English — Swedish
fruktansvärd
10 millions of speakers
Translator English — Norwegian
skrekkelig
5 millions of speakers
Trends of use of awful
TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «AWFUL»
The term «awful» is very widely used and occupies the 11.049 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «awful» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of awful
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «awful».
FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «AWFUL» OVER TIME
The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «awful» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «awful» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.
Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about awful
10 QUOTES WITH «AWFUL»
Famous quotes and sentences with the word awful.
Well, the responsibility for maintaining a reliable transmission grid is one that’s shared by an awful lot of players who have a role in the grid: Companies that either generate and transmit energy or just play the role of being the transmission systems or monitoring them.
Cancer is too real, and too awful, and I can’t make it good or magical. I couldn’t even read a book where a character had cancer, for a while… But now I’ve reached a point where I don’t think about cancer nonstop anymore, and sometimes I worry about that — I’m going to forget what I went through; I’m going to forget how horrible it was.
Bill Hanna and I owe an awful lot to television, but we both got our start and built the first phase of our partnership in the movies.
Occasionally, when I get mad at a woman, I’ll do some great, awful painting about her.
Suffering is traumatic and awful and we get angry and we shake our fists at the heavens and we vent and rage and weep. But in the process we discover a new tomorrow, one we never would have imagined otherwise.
I shall never forget the despair and agony on the parents’ faces on the awful day of the funeral when the 13 little children, victims not only of John D. Rockefeller, but of the government of the state of Colorado were buried.
Even now I can’t trust life. It did too many awful things to me as a kid.
I was in an awful lot of trouble in Hollywood.
There are an awful lot of people who despise government precisely because it opened the door for common citizenship for people of all races and all natures in the United States.
Being a funny person does an awful lot of things to you. You feel that you mustn’t get serious with people. They don’t expect it from you, and they don’t want to see it. You’re not entitled to be serious, you’re a clown.
10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «AWFUL»
Discover the use of awful in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to awful and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
Tells a story about a small boy who cuts his finger in the playground and is sent to the school nurse. Tries to alleviate fears children have of the school nurse and designed to stimulate discussion on fear of the unknown.
Alma Marshak Whitney, 1971
2
Are They Really So Awful?: A Cameraman’s Chronicles
Among the many films he photographed are: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines, the Tales of Hoffman and — perhaps the most famous of them all — Genevieve.
Christopher Challis, 1995
3
You Are Awful (But I Like You): Travels Through Unloved Britain
In You are Awful, Tim Moore drives his Austin Maestro round all the places on our beloved island that nobody wants to go to — our most miserable towns, shonkiest hotels, scariest pubs, and silliest sea zoos.
4
Grover’s bad, awful day
Mommy comforts Grover after he has a bad, awful day.
5
The Best Awful: A Novel
A woman struggles to cope with a descent into psychosis and to make her way through a challenging stay in a psychiatric institution to build a new life for herself.
I’m an awful, awful ogre, Absolutely awful ogre.
7
How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous
A look at the deaths of several famous people throughout history and the circumstances surrounding those deaths.
8
Awful Splendour: A Fire History of Canada
The choices Canadians have made says a great deal about their national character. Awful Splendour narrates the history of this grand saga. It will interest geographers, historians, and members of the fire community.
9
A House Called Awful End
Eleven-year-old Eddie Dickens is taken in by his great-uncle and great-aunt, Mad Uncle Jack and Mad Aunt Maude, and embarks on adventures that involve St. Horrid’s Home for Grateful Orphans and a carnival float shaped like a giant cow.
10
Terrible, Awful, Horrible Manners!
Peter takes pride in being rude and gross. He doesn’t think manners are important at all. But when his family starts to use bad manners, Peter gets a reality check.
10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «AWFUL»
Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term awful is used in the context of the following news items.
The not-great-but-not-awful Braves keep us hanging on
Just after Memorial Day, we noted that the Atlanta Braves’ schedule over the next month-plus would be most testing. Our conclusion: “If the … «Atlanta Journal Constitution, Jul 15»
‘Awful‘ crash, Confederate battle flags mar landmark NASCAR race
“Oh my God, that looked awful,” he yelled into his radio. Mr. Dillon was able to walk away from the crash with only minor injuries. He was … «Christian Science Monitor, Jul 15»
Nintendo’s nationalism and “awful” working conditions killed Wii game
Working conditions were described as «awful,» with management decisions constantly overridden by the Japanese headquarters. «Many of us … «Ars Technica UK, Jul 15»
PlayStation Now turned my awful Samsung Smart TV into a fun …
PlayStation Now is a neat little service. Sony purchased Gaikai a few years ago and turned it into a way to play PlayStation games without … «Ars Technica UK, Jul 15»
Demi Lovato Sustained No Serious Injury After An Awful Plummet …
Demi Lovato has no serious injurt after an awful plummet in a pool while giving her fans a special performance. Lovato, who is busy promoting … «Realty Today, Jul 15»
Mandelson slams ‘awful complacency’
Labour grandee Lord Mandelson has claimed that the party had slipped into «awful complacency» following its election defeat as he warned … «BT.com, Jul 15»
Americans celebrate World Cup in most awful way possible: ‘Japs …
American soccer fans celebrated the U.S. women’s World Cup title Sunday by comparing the 5-2 victory over Japan to an atomic bombing. «Raw Story, Jul 15»
CNN’s Sally Kohn Cringes at Hillary Campaign Roping Reporters …
“This is awful! It’s just awful!” Kohn said. “It was like, the optics of it, I mean it took press wrangling to a whole new level, right? There’s a sort of … «Mediaite, Jul 15»
Lucy Kellaway: Awful Microsoft shows how NOT to write Mission …
When Lucy Kellaway gets her teeth into something, prisoners are optional. Microsoft’s communications team will attest to this reality when they … «BizNews, Jul 15»
Tour de France 2015: Awful crash leaves riders in agony before …
The records will show Chris Froome claiming the yellow jersey at the end of stage three of the Tour de France here, but the enduring images … «The Independent, Jul 15»
REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Awful [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/awful>. Apr 2023 ».
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