different between awful vs outrageous
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
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- what is meant by awful
outrageous
English
Alternative forms
- outragious (archaic)
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman outrageus, Middle French outrageus, from outrage; equivalent to outrage +? -ous.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /a?t??e?d??s/
- Rhymes: -e?d??s
Adjective
outrageous (comparative more outrageous, superlative most outrageous)
- Violating morality or decency; provoking indignation or affront. [from 14th c.]
- c. 1601, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, First Folio 1623:
- To be, or not to be, that is the Question: / Whether 'tis Nobler in the minde to suffer / The Slings and Arrowes of outragious Fortune, / Or to take Armes against a Sea of troubles, / And by opposing end them [...].
- 2011, Paul Wilson, The Guardian, 19 Oct 2011:
- The Irish-French rugby union whistler Alain Rolland was roundly condemned for his outrageous decision that lifting a player into the air then turning him over so he falls on his head or neck amounted to dangerous play.
- c. 1601, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, First Folio 1623:
- Transgressing reasonable limits; extravagant, immoderate. [from 14th c.]
- 2004, David Smith, The Observer, 19 Dec 2004:
- Audience members praised McKellen, best known for Shakespearean roles and as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, for his show-stealing turn as Twankey in a series of outrageous glitzy dresses.
- 2004, David Smith, The Observer, 19 Dec 2004:
- Shocking; exceeding conventional behaviour; provocative. [from 18th c.]
- 2001, Imogen Tilden, The Guardian, 8 Dec 2001:
- "It's something I really am quite nervous about," he admits, before adding, with relish: "You have to be a bit outrageous and challenging sometimes."
- 2001, Imogen Tilden, The Guardian, 8 Dec 2001:
- (now rare) Fierce, violent. [from 14th c.]
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.4:
- For els my feeble vessell, crazd and crackt / Through thy strong buffets and outrageous blowes, / Cannot endure, but needes it must be wrackt [...].
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.4:
Derived terms
- outrageously
- outrageousness
Related terms
- outrage
Translations
Further reading
- outrageous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- outrageous in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
outrageous From the web:
- what outrageous means
- what outrageous you
- what's outrageous in german
- outrageous what does it mean
- outrageous what is the definition
- what is outrageous in tagalog
- what do outrageous mean
- what does outrageous
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