好词典

awful

UK //ˈɔː.fəl//US //ˈɑː.fəl//

词源

源自中古英语agheful(令人恐惧的),由aghe(恐惧,古英语ege的变体)和-ful后缀组成,原义与awe(敬畏)相关,后演变为负面含义。

adjective

❶ 形容事物极其糟糕、令人不快或质量低劣,程度比bad更强。常用于表达强烈不满或厌恶。

“The weather was awful during our vacation.”

(我们度假期间的天气糟透了。)

“She had an awful headache after working all night.”

(通宵工作后她头痛得厉害。)

❶ 在非正式语境中可表示程度极高,类似very的强调用法,但带有负面情绪色彩。

“There's an awful lot of paperwork to finish.”

(有非常多的文书工作要完成。)

“He's been awful busy with his new project.”

(他最近为新项目忙得不可开交。)

同义词:terrible, dreadful, horrible, atrocious

常见短语

feel awful — 指身体或情绪上感觉非常难受,可能是生病、内疚或沮丧的状态。

“I feel awful about forgetting her birthday.”

(我忘记她的生日感到非常愧疚。)

look awful — 形容某人看起来状态很差,可能是生病、疲惫或衣着不得体。

“You look awful - have you been sleeping enough?”

(你看起来糟透了——最近睡眠充足吗?)