as in dreadfulness
the quality of inspiring intense dread or dismay
the awfulness of the car accident can scarcely be described
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Recent Examples of awfulness
Howard, now in his 70s, decided to make a film about the fundamental awfulness of other humans, delivering one of his darkest stories in the process.
—
Will Leitch, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
The awfulness of it scrapes my veins, turning everything orange and raw.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Will Leitch, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
The awfulness of it scrapes my veins, turning everything orange and raw.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for awfulness
Noun
-
Netflix struck gold with Wednesday, the supernatural horror-comedy centered on the sardonically morbid teenage daughter of the Addams Family.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Sep. 2025
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But a heart-wrenching 2016 case report of a boy in Oregon detailed the horrors of what the disease can look like.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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What if the atrocities amount to genocide?—
Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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So much atrocity, so much terror is unbearable.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Awfulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/awfulness. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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