different between awful vs repugnant

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)

1. Very bad.

   My socks smell awful.

   We saw such an awful film last night that we left the theater before the end.

2. Exceedingly great; usually applied intensively.

   an awful bonnet

   I have learnt an awful amount today.

3. (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.

4. (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) […].

5. (now rare) Struck or filled with awe.
6. (obsolete) Terror-stricken.
7. Worshipful; reverential; law-abiding.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:frightening

Derived terms

• awfulness
• awfully

Translations

Adverb

awful (not comparable)

1. (colloquial) Awfully; dreadfully; terribly.
2. (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.

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French repugnant, borrowed from Latin repugnans, present participle of repugnare (“to oppose, to fight against”), from re- (“back, against”) + pugnare (“to fight”); see pugnacious.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???p??n?nt/
• Hyphenation: re?pug?nant

Adjective

repugnant (comparative more repugnant, superlative most repugnant)

1. Offensive or repulsive; arousing disgust or aversion.
2. (law) Opposed or in conflict.

Usage notes

• Nouns to which "repugnant" is often applied: act, nature, behavior, practice, character, thing, crime.

Related terms

Translations

Further reading

• repugnant in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• repugnant in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• pregnaunt

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin repugn?ns, attested from 1803.

Adjective

repugnant (masculine and feminine plural repugnants)

1. repugnant, revolting

Related terms

• repugnància
• repugnar

Further reading

• “repugnant” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “repugnant” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “repugnant” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

References

Latin

Verb

repugnant

1. third-person plural present active indicative of repugn?

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French repugnant.

Adjective

repugnant m (feminine singular repugnante, masculine plural repugnans, feminine plural repugnantes)

1. repugnant; repulsive

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin repugnans, repugnantem.

Adjective

repugnant m (oblique and nominative feminine singular repugnant or repugnante)

1. contradictory
2. opposing; adversary

Descendants

• ? English: repugnant
• Middle French: repugnant
  • French: répugnant

Romanian

Etymology

From French répugnant.

Adjective

repugnant m or n (feminine singular repugnant?, masculine plural repugnan?i, feminine and neuter plural repugnante)

1. repugnant

Declension