awfully

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

English awful

Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der.

Proto-Germanic *līkąder.

Proto-Germanic *-līkaz

Proto-Germanic *-ê

Proto-Germanic *-līkê

Proto-West Germanic *-līkē

Old English -līċe

Middle English -ly

English -ly

English awfully

From awful + -ly.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɔː.fʊ.li/, /ˈɔː.fə.li/, /ˈɔː.fli/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɔ.f(ə.)li/
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈɑ.f(ə.)li/

Adverb

awfully (comparative more awfully, superlative most awfully)

1. Badly, terribly.

   She led after the swimming and cycling, but ran awfully and came in fourth.

2. (not comparable) Very; exceedingly; extremely; excessively.

   Synonyms: very, extremely, terribly; see also Thesaurus:extremely

   • 1912, Arnold Bennett, The Grim Smile of the Five Towns‎^[1]:

     It was wondrous. 'I'm awfully glad I came now,' his thought ran; 'I'm managing it rather well.'

   • 1968, Syd Barrett, “Jugband Blues”, in A Saucerful of Secrets, performed by Pink Floyd:

     It’s awfully considerate of you to think of me here / And I’m most obliged to you for making it clear that I’m not here

3. (archaic) In a manner inspiring awe.
4. (archaic) Reverently.
5. (obsolete) Fearfully.
   • 1849 May – 1850 November, Charles Dickens, The Personal History of David Copperfield, London: Bradbury & Evans, […], published 1850, →OCLC:

     I returned to the inn yard, and, impressed by my remembrance of the face, looked awfully around for it. It was not there.

Collocations

with adjectives

• awfully good
• awfully hard
• awfully sad
• awfully nice
• awfully sorry
• awfully long
• awfully quiet
• awfully big
• awfully glad
• awfully familiar
• awfully well
• awfully difficult
• awfully tired
• awfully bad
• awfully hot
• awfully high
• awfully busy
• awfully pretty
• awfully small
• awfully cold
• awfully funny
• awfully expensive
• awfully fond
• awfully important
• awfully young
• awfully interesting
• awfully jolly
• awfully short
• awfully proud
• awfully clever
• awfully boring
• awfully strange
• awfully happy
• awfully lonely
• awfully stpid
• awfully strong
• awfully sick
• awfully pleased
• awfully old
• awfully hungry
• awfully afraid
• awfully silly

Translations

in an awe-inspiring manner

• Czech: strašně (cs)
• Greek: φοβερά (el) (foverá), τρομερά (el) (tromerá)
• Russian: страшно (ru) (strašno)
• Spanish: asombroso (es)
• Walloon: k' araedje (wa), carapmint (wa)

fearfully — see fearfully

reverently — see reverently

badly — see badly

very — see very