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awfulness

awfulness

7 6.0
A very unpleasant quality that makes people feel bad
  • noun
  • /ˈɔːfəl.nəs/
translation icon : horror
  • The awfulness of the situation left everyone feeling helpless.

I mean, misty eyed about the awfulness of human beings.

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Examples

  • Then the awfulness of finding her in the center of town with a mob gathered around her.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The deadly awfulness of his situation is beginning to rise in his throat, burning like an acid regurgitation.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • But she seemed pleased by the performance's awfulness, as I was.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • S and I share the ability to see through the quotidian awfulness of things.

  • I needed to believe there's more than this awfulness around us... ...but at some point we have to stop.

  • And here in London, who can forget the sheer awfulness of the Grenfell Tower fire?

  • As he absorbs the awfulness of his predicament, he does nothing.

  • In the course of these talks, he could possibly point to some spot of hope in what I saw as the hopeless awfulness of the most recent events in Russia, Bosnia, and Africa.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • The grandness of the world lies before them, and they are deciding its fate and are humbled by the awfulness of it.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • And she was the one thing that made the shootings, and the diseases, and the wild animals, and the Indians, and the general depressing awfulness about the West bearable.

Synonyms

unpleasantness
vsawfulness
17 4.2

A feeling of discomfort or dislike

is the stronger, more extreme form of that unpleasant feeling
badness
vsawfulness
4 3.4

The state of being unpleasant, harmful or wrong

expresses extreme unpleasantness rather than general poor quality
nastiness
vsawfulness
3 5.0

A strong unpleasant quality that makes people uncomfortable

covers extreme disagreeableness beyond impolite conduct
vileness
vsawfulness
2 8.0

Very bad and morally wrong behavior

is about extreme disagreeableness without moral judgment
grimness
vsawfulness
2 6.7

A harsh, unpleasant quality that makes people feel afraid or worried

is extreme disagreeableness without centring on fear or severity
hideousness
vsawfulness
2 6.3

Extreme ugliness that makes people feel shocked or disgusted

is about powerful unpleasantness not limited to visual ugliness
obnoxiousness
vsawfulness
2 8.0

Being very rude and annoying to other people

indicates extreme unpleasantness without the specific offence focus
harshness
vsawfulness
2 3.5

A strong unpleasant effect that hurts the senses

is broad extreme unpleasantness not limited to sensory roughness
terribleness
vsawfulness
1 6.6

A state when something is very bad and frightening

expresses strong disagreeableness without the sense of dread
disgustingness
vsawfulness
1 6.5

How gross or unpleasant something is

describes severe unpleasantness not limited to revulsion
horribleness
vsawfulness
1 5.9

A very unpleasant, shocking state that causes fear or disgust

is very unpleasant without necessarily causing shock
shittiness
vsawfulness
  • Offensive
1 9.6

A very bad quality that makes something unpleasant

is formal extreme unpleasantness without the casual tone
repulsiveness
vsawfulness
1 7.0

A strong feeling of disgust that makes you want to move away

is extreme unpleasantness not focused on causing repulsion
loathsomeness
vsawfulness
1 9.1

A strong feeling that something is very unpleasant or disgusting

covers overall extreme disagreeableness beyond sensory revulsion
unsavoriness
vsawfulness
  • US
1 9.3

A behavior that people find morally wrong or offensive

focuses on severe disagreeableness not only moral fault
objectionableness
vsawfulness
9.6

A state that makes people feel offended or dislike something

means severe unpleasantness without necessarily provoking active objection
odiousness
vsawfulness
  • Formal
9.0

A quality of being very unpleasant and causing strong dislike

is extreme disagreeableness without the specific hatred element
horridness
vsawfulness
7.7

A very unpleasant quality that shocks people

denotes strong unpleasantness without implying alarm or fear
monstrousness
vsawfulness
7.8

The quality of being very ugly or cruel in a way that shocks people

refers to extreme disagreeableness without focusing on cruelty
atrociousness
vsawfulness
8.8

Very cruel actions that shock people

means strong disagreeableness without the cruelty emphasis
beastliness
vsawfulness
8.3

Very unpleasant or nasty quality often used for weather and food

is broad severe unpleasantness not tied to nastiness alone
disagreeableness
vsawfulness
8.1

A quality of being unpleasant and hard to get along with that makes people avoid you

means stronger, more extreme unpleasantness than social friction
unpleasingness
vsawfulness
8.2

How bad something looks, sounds, or smells to you

is the extreme degree of disagreeableness rather than mild displeasure
distastefulness
vsawfulness
6.1

Being unpleasant or offensive and making people feel dislike

refers to very strong unpleasantness rather than mild dislike
unbearableness
vsawfulness
7.0

A quality that makes pain or trouble very hard to stand

denotes strong unpleasantness that may still be bearable
dreadfulness
vsawfulness
7.7

A very strong feeling of fear when something is shocking or awful

signifies strong disagreeableness without specifically causing fear

Antonyms

2 3.4

A feeling that something is nice and enjoyable

A quality that makes people feel great pleasure

How Unpleasant

atrocity
151 8.1
horror
441 2.1
awfulness
7 6.0
distress
240 3.6
discomfort
119 3.2
annoyance
26 2.8
displeasure
28 3.9

Surface Forms

awfulness singular
awfulnesses plural

Morphology

awfulness = awful (transparent) = awful + ness

Formed by the adjective 'awful' + the nominalizing suffix '-ness'; the meaning 'state or quality of being awful' is directly derived.

Etymology

Awfulness comes from awful + -ness; awful once meant 'full of awe', like the words awe and awesome. Over time awful changed to mean 'very bad', so awfulness is the quality of being extremely unpleasant.