god-awful
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Extremely unpleasant, terrible, or of very poor quality: "god-awful" is an emphatic, informal adjective used to describe something that is exceptionally bad, disagreeable, or offensive to the senses or sensibilities.
Usage
- The word "god-awful" is a strong, informal intensifier. It is typically used for emphasis in casual speech or writing to express strong disapproval, disgust, or disappointment.
- It often modifies nouns related to sensory experiences (e.g., noise, smell, taste, sight) or abstract concepts like situations or behavior.
Examples
- Adjective:
- We had to sit through a god-awful movie with a nonsensical plot. (The movie was exceptionally terrible.)
- She woke up with a god-awful headache after the long flight. (The headache was extremely unpleasant.)
- He made a god-awful mistake that cost the company a lot of money. (The mistake was terribly bad.)
Advanced Usage
- "god-awful" as an adverb (informal): In very casual use, it can function as an adverb meaning "extremely" or "terribly."
- The concert ran god-awful late, and we missed the last train. (The concert ran extremely late.)
- Emphatic Modifier: It is often used before nouns considered inherently negative (e.g., ) to amplify their negative quality.
Variants and Related Words
- Awful (adj): Very bad or unpleasant. ("god-awful" is a more emphatic form).
- Terrible (adj): Extremely bad or serious.
- Horrendous (adj): Extremely unpleasant, horrifying, or dreadful.
Synonyms
- Dreadful: Extremely bad or unpleasant.
- Appalling: Shockingly bad or terrible.
- Ghastly: Extremely unpleasant or frightening.
Related Phrases and Idioms
- A god-awful mess: An extremely disordered, dirty, or chaotic state.
- The children left a god-awful mess in the kitchen.
- God-awful noise/racket: An extremely loud, unpleasant, or irritating sound.
- The construction next door is making a god-awful racket.
Adjective
- very unpleasant
- hellish weather
- stop that god-awful racket