history of the word awful - EAS

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  1. 19th century
    • According to 2 sources
    Awful - While once it meant awe-inspiring and full of awe, the years have taken their toll on awful. Sometime in the 19th century, it came to mean distasteful; an 1818 dictionary reported, "In New England, many people would call a disagreeable medicine awful, an ugly woman an awful-looking woman...."
    — William Blake Adverbial use of awful as an intensifier began to appear in print in the early 19th century, as did the senses of awfully corresponding to senses 1 and 2 of the adjective. Awfully continues to enjoy widespread use in newspapers and the like.
  2. People also ask
    What is the root word of awful?
    awful (adj.) c. 1300, agheful "worthy of respect or fear, striking with awe; causing dread," from aghe , an earlier form of awe (n.), + -ful . The Old English word was egefull .
    What is the meaning of awesome and awful?
    Both “awful” and “awesome” are based on this “awe.” The “some” suffix of “awesome” means “causing or characterized by,” and the “ful” of “awful” originally meant “full of” or “characterized by, inspiring.”
    www.word-detective.com/2009/10/awful-awkward-aweso…
    What is the origin of the word godawful?
    also godawful, according to OED from 1878 as "impressive," 1897 as "impressively terrible," but it seems not to have been much in print before c. 1924, from God + awful. The God might be an intensifier or the whole might be from the frequent God's awful (vengeance, judgment, etc.), a common phrase in religious literature. god (n.)
    When did the word awkward come into the English language?
    When “awkward” first appeared in English in the 14th century, it carried the literal meaning of “turned around backwards,” and it wasn’t until the 16th century that the modern meaning of “clumsy,” in both literal and figurative senses, appeared. English (language): Why is "awesome" positive and "awful" negative?
    www.word-detective.com/2009/10/awful-awkward-aweso…
  3. https://www.etymonline.com/word/awful

    Webawful (adj.)c. 1300, agheful "worthy of respect or fear, striking with awe; causing dread," from aghe, an earlier form of awe (n.), + -ful. The Old English word was egefull. The

  4. https://www.studymode.com/essays/The-Origin-Of-The...

    WebThe Origin Of The Word Awful Philosophy of Language and Word. Word Meanings Change Over Time- Words can mean one thing in a certain age and something... Ellen …

  5. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/awful

    Web1 of 2 adjective aw· ful ˈȯ-fəl 1 : extremely disagreeable or objectionable awful food awful behavior an awful experience 2 informal : exceedingly great used as an intensive an …

  6. Origins of Common Words - Awful - trivia-library.com

    https://trivia-library.com/b/origins-of-common-words-awful.htm

    WebUNCOMMON STORIES BEHIND COMMON WORDS. Awful - While once it meant awe-inspiring and full of awe, the years have taken their toll on awful. Sometime in the

  7. https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/awful

    Web1 as in horrible causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment that's an awful thing to say about someone Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance horrible disgusting ugly …

  8. https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/381884/...

    WebAlthough the OED notes that the word awful means " Objectively: awe-inspiring" 1, the earliest (c885 2, approximately 500 years before the advent of offal into the language 3) …

  9. www.word-detective.com/2009/10/awful-awkward-awesome

    WebThe transformation of “awful” from meaning “inspiring awe” to “really bad” came in the 18th century, probably from repeated use of “awful” to mean “so bad as to inspire awe.” …

  10. www.word-detective.com/2015/01/awe-awful

    WebIn the early 19th century, however, “awful” took a sharp detour, and began to be used to mean not “inspiring great dread and humility,” but simply “very bad, scary or

  11. https://www.etymonline.com/word/god-awful

    Webawful (adj.) c. 1300, agheful "worthy of respect or fear, striking with awe; causing dread," from aghe, an earlier form of awe (n.), + -ful. The Old English word was egefull. The …

  12. https://www.dictionary.com/e/awesome

    WebThe earliest use of awesome comes in the late 16th century, and the word had the meaning of “filled with awe.” The problem with saying that this is the same meaning that kids today …

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