awfully

[aw-fuh-lee, awf-lee] / ˈɔ fə li, ˈɔf li /

ADVERB

badly

Synonyms

STRONGEST

dreadfully wickedly

WEAK

clumsily disgracefully disreputably inadequately incompletely poorly reprehensibly shoddily unforgivably unpleasantly wretchedly

ADVERB

very

Synonyms

STRONGEST

dreadfully excessively extremely hugely immensely quite terribly truly

WEAK

badly greatly indeed much very much

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

At the movies, the apocalypse tends to seem awfully exciting.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

For Americans over the age of, say, 35, the Iran war feels awfully familiar.

From Slate • Mar. 11, 2026

“We’re getting awfully close to the 11th hour when it comes to bargaining.”

From MarketWatch • Feb. 24, 2026

The U.S. debt market has been awfully steady lately.

From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026

Her “I’ve got to make sense of this” squint looked awfully familiar.

From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix