different between outrage vs awfulness

English

Etymology

From Middle English outrage, from Old French outrage, oultrage (“excess”), from Late Latin *ultr?gium, *ultr?ticum ("a going beyond"), derived from Latin ultr? (“beyond”). Later reanalysed as out- +? rage, whence the contemporary pronunciation, though neither of these is etymologically related.

The verb is from Middle English outragen, from Old French oultragier.

Pronunciation

• (US, UK) IPA^(key): /?a?t.?e?d??/
• (General New Zealand) IPA^(key): /?æot.?æed??/
• (obsolete) IPA^(key): /?a?t.??d??/

Noun

outrage (countable and uncountable, plural outrages)

1. An excessively violent or vicious attack; an atrocity.
2. An offensive, immoral or indecent act.
3. The resentful, indignant, or shocked anger aroused by such acts.
4. (obsolete) A destructive rampage. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Translations

Verb

outrage (third-person singular simple present outrages, present participle outraging, simple past and past participle outraged)

1. (transitive) To cause or commit an outrage upon; to treat with violence or abuse.
   • August 30, 1706, Francis Atterbury, a sermon preach'd in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, at the funeral of Mr. Tho. Bennet

     Base and insolent minds […] outrage men when they have Hopes of doing it without a Return.

   • 1725-1726, William Broome, Odyssey

     The interview […] outrages all the rules of decency.

2. (transitive) To inspire feelings of outrage in.

   The senator's comments outraged the community.

3. (archaic, transitive) To sexually violate; to rape.
4. (obsolete, transitive) To rage in excess of.

Translations

Related terms

• outrageous

References

Further reading

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

French

Etymology

From Old French oltrage

Noun

outrage m (plural outrages)

1. offence, insult, contempt
2. (literary) onslaught

Verb

outrage

1. first-person singular present indicative of outrager
2. third-person singular present indicative of outrager
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of outrager
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of outrager
5. second-person singular imperative of outrager

Further reading

• “outrage” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

English

Etymology

From Middle English aghfulnesse, equivalent to awful +? -ness.

Noun

awfulness (usually uncountable, plural awfulnesses)

1. The state or quality of being awful.
   • 1942, Emily Carr, The Book of Small, "Characters," [1]

     Out came old Teenie, buzzing mad as a whole nest of wasps. Muttered awfulnesses came from her great padded bonnet.

   • 1961, Peter De Vries, The Blood of the Lamb, Penguin, 1982, Chapter 3, p. 36,

     "Why is the awfulness of families such a popular reason for starting another?"

2. The quality of striking with awe, or with reverence

   Synonyms: dreadfulness, solemnity

   • 1823, Thomas de Quincey, "On the Knocking at the Gate in Macbeth" in On Murder, edited by Robert Morrison, Oxford World's Classics, 2006, p. 3,

     […] the knocking at the gate, which succeeds to the murder of Duncan, produced to my feelings an effect for which I could never account: the effect was—that it reflected back upon the murder a peculiar awfulness and a depth of solemnity […]

   the awfulness of this sacred place

3. The state of being struck with awe; a spirit of solemnity; profound reverence.