awfulness

IPA/ˈɔːflnəs/
KK[ˈɔfəlnəs]IPA/ˈɔːflnəs/

awfulness — noun

1. the terrible and deeply unpleasant quality of something, especially when it is s

1.nounC1
Definition

the terrible and deeply unpleasant quality of something, especially when it is so bad that it shocks, upsets, or disgusts people

Example

Henry lost his appetite because of the awfulness of the hospital food.

because of the awfulness of + noun phrase

The awfulness of the storm damage left the village school closed for months.

the awfulness of + event or situation

Common collocations
  • the awfulness of the food
  • the awfulness of the damage
  • the awfulness of war
  • the awfulness of the smell
  • the awfulness of the joke
Synonyms
  • horror

    stronger and more shocking, often with fear or disgust rather than simple badness

  • unpleasantness

    much milder and often used for smaller discomforts or awkward situations

  • misery

    focuses on the suffering people feel, not just the bad quality of a thing or event

Antonyms
  • pleasantness

    the quality of feeling agreeable or enjoyable instead of deeply unpleasant

  • excellence

    a very high standard or quality, the opposite of something extremely bad

Grammar Patterns

the awfulness of [something]

Usage Note

Usually uncountable. It most often appears in the pattern 'the awfulness of ...' when you want to judge an experience, condition, or event as shockingly bad.

Common Mistakes

The awfulnesses of the meal shocked us.
The awfulness of the meal shocked us.
In this general meaning, awfulness is usually uncountable and is not normally used in the plural.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Awfulness is a broad word for something that feels extremely bad, unpleasant, or hard to face. It can describe terrible food, a shocking smell, war, or a scene that leaves people upset. Horror is stronger and usually carries fear, shock, or disgust, especially when violence or cruelty is involved. Unpleasantness is much milder and often refers to discomfort, awkwardness, or a bad atmosphere rather than something truly shocking. Misery focuses on the suffering people feel, not on the bad quality of the situation itself. Terribleness is close in meaning to awfulness but is less common and often sounds more deliberate or literary. Bad hospital food can have an awfulness about it, but photographs of a destroyed town may create horror.

awfulness ↗horror ↗unpleasantness ↗misery ↗terribleness

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • the awfulness of
  • because of the awfulness of
  • be shocked by the awfulness of

Prepositions

Etymology

English

Awfulness was formed in English by adding the noun-forming suffix '-ness' to awful. Awful originally described something that inspired awe or fear, but over time it developed the modern meaning 'very bad' or 'deeply unpleasant'. The noun awfulness names that quality or state.