different between awful vs brutal
awful
English
Alternative forms
- awfull (archaic), aweful (obsolete), awefull (obsolete)
Etymology
From Middle English agheful, awfull, auful, a?efull, equivalent to awe +? -ful. Compare Old English e?eful, e?efull (“terrifying; awful”).
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /???f?l/, /???f?l/
- (General American) IPA(key): /??f?l/
- (cot–caught merger) IPA(key): /??f?l/
- Rhymes: -??f?l
- Homophone: offal (some accents)
Adjective
awful (comparative awfuller or more awful, superlative awfullest or most awful)
- Very bad.
- My socks smell awful.
- We saw such an awful film last night that we left the theater before the end.
- Exceedingly great; usually applied intensively.
- an awful bonnet
- I have learnt an awful amount today.
- (now dated) Causing fear or horror; appalling, terrible.
- 1839, J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Schalken the Painter
- There was an air of gravity and importance about the garb of the person, and something indescribably odd, I might say awful, in the perfect, stonelike stillness of the figure, that effectually checked the testy comment which had at once risen to the lips of the irritated artist.
- 1839, J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Schalken the Painter
- (now rare) Inspiring awe; filling with profound reverence or respect; profoundly impressive.
- 1819, Lord Byron, Don Juan, II.143:
- And then she stopped, and stood as if in awe / (For sleep is awful) […].
- 1819, Lord Byron, Don Juan, II.143:
- (now rare) Struck or filled with awe.
- (obsolete) Terror-stricken.
- Worshipful; reverential; law-abiding.
Synonyms
- See also Thesaurus:frightening
Derived terms
- awfulness
- awfully
Translations
Adverb
awful (not comparable)
- (colloquial) Awfully; dreadfully; terribly.
- (colloquial, US, Canada) Very, extremely.
- That's an awful big house.
- She seemed awful nice when I met her yesterday.
- He was blubbering away something awful.
Translations
See also
- awfully
Further reading
- awful in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- awful in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
awful From the web:
- what awful means
- what awful things happened in 2020
- what awful weather
- what awful weather she said
- what awful news
- what awful weather we are experiencing
- what does awful mean
- what is meant by awful
brutal
English
Etymology
From Medieval Latin brutalis (“savage, stupid”), from Latin br?tus (“dull, stupid”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /?b?u?t?l/
- Rhymes: -u?t?l
Adjective
brutal (comparative more brutal, superlative most brutal)
- Savagely violent, vicious, ruthless, or cruel
- Crude or unfeeling in manner or speech.
- Harsh; unrelenting
- Disagreeably precise or penetrating
- (music, figuratively) In extreme metal, to describe the speed of the music and the density of riffs.
- Direct and without attempt to disguise unpleasantness.
Synonyms
- barbaric
- cold-blooded
- savage
- vicious
Antonyms
- gentle
- kind
Related terms
- brutality
- brutally
- brute
- brutish
Translations
Further reading
- brutal in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- brutal in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
- brutal at OneLook Dictionary Search
Anagrams
- Brault
Catalan
Etymology
From Latin brutalis.
Pronunciation
- (Balearic, Central, Valencian) IPA(key): /b?u?tal/
Adjective
brutal (masculine and feminine plural brutals)
- brutal
Derived terms
- brutalisme
- brutalitat
- brutalment
Related terms
- brut
Further reading
- “brutal” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
Danish
Etymology
From French brutal, from Latin br?tus (“dull, stupid”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bruta?l/, [b??u?t?æ??l]
Adjective
brutal
- brutal
- savage
Inflection
Derived terms
- brutalitet
French
Etymology
From Medieval Latin br?t?lis (“savage, stupid”), from br?tus (“dull, stupid”). See brut and -al.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /b?y.tal/
Adjective
brutal (feminine singular brutale, masculine plural brutaux, feminine plural brutales)
- brutal
Noun
brutal m (plural brutaux, feminine brutale)
- person who acts brutally
Derived terms
- brutalement
- brutaliser
- brutalité
Further reading
- “brutal” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Anagrams
- brulât, brûlât
German
Etymology
From Latin brutalis, from brutus (“dull, stupid”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /b?u?ta?l/
- Rhymes: -a?l
Adjective
brutal (comparative brutaler, superlative am brutalsten)
- brutal
Declension
Synonyms
- barbarisch
- kaltblütig
Antonyms
- freundlich
Related terms
- Brutalität
Further reading
- “brutal” in Duden online
Indonesian
Etymology
From English brutal, from Medieval Latin brutalis (“savage, stupid”), from Latin br?tus (“dull, stupid”). Doublet of bruto, guru.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [?brutal]
- Hyphenation: bru?tal
Adjective
brutal (plural brutal-brutal)
- (colloquial) brutal
- violent, vicious, ruthless, or cruel.
- Synonym: kejam
- harsh; unrelenting.
- Synonym: kasar
- violent, vicious, ruthless, or cruel.
Further reading
- “brutal” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (KBBI) Daring, Jakarta: Badan Pengembangan dan Pembinaan Bahasa, Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia, 2016.
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
From Latin brutus, via French brutal.
Adjective
brutal (neuter singular brutalt, definite singular and plural brutale)
- brutal
Related terms
- brutalitet
References
- “brutal” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From Latin brutus, via French brutal.
Adjective
brutal (neuter singular brutalt, definite singular and plural brutale)
- brutal
Related terms
- brutalitet
References
- “brutal” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Occitan
Alternative forms
- brutau (Limousin)
Adjective
brutal m (feminine singular brutala, masculine plural brutals, feminine plural brutalas) (Languedoc)
- brutal
Derived terms
Related terms
Further reading
- Diccionari General de la Lenga Occitana, L’Academia occitana – Consistòri del Gai Saber, 2008-2016, page 132.
Portuguese
Etymology
From Latin brutalis.
Pronunciation
- (Portugal) IPA(key): /b?u?ta?/
- Hyphenation: bru?tal
Adjective
brutal m or f (plural brutais, comparable)
- brutal, brutish
- (colloquial) huge
- (colloquial) fantastic, extraordinary
Romanian
Etymology
From Latin brutalis.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bru?tal/
Adjective
brutal m or n (feminine singular brutal?, masculine plural brutali, feminine and neuter plural brutale)
- brutal
Declension
Related terms
- brut
- brutalitate
- brutaliza
- brutalizare
Spanish
Etymology
From Latin br?t?lis.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /b?u?tal/, [b?u?t?al]
Adjective
brutal (plural brutales)
- brutal
Derived terms
- brutalidad
- brutalismo
- brutalizar
- brutalmente
Related terms
- bruto
Further reading
- “brutal” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.
Swedish
Etymology
From French brutal from Medieval Latin brutalis, from br?tus.
Pronunciation
Adjective
brutal (comparative brutalare, superlative brutalast)
- brutal
Declension
Related terms
- brutalisera
Anagrams
- bultar
brutal From the web:
- what brutal means
- what does brutal mean
- what do brutal mean
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