awfulness

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awfulness

Where it comes from

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

noun awfulnesses

uncountable, usually The state or quality of being awful. Out came old Teenie, buzzing mad as a whole nest of wasps. Muttered awfulnesses came from her great padded bonnet.
uncountable, usually The quality of striking with awe, or with reverence […] 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 […]
Similar: dreadfulness, solemnity
uncountable, usually The state of being struck with awe; a spirit of solemnity; profound reverence.

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MLA

"awfulness." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/awfulness. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

awfulness. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/awfulness

Chicago

"awfulness." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/awfulness.

BibTeX

@misc{awfulness_2026,
  title = {awfulness},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/awfulness},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}