Awful vs Careful - What's the difference?
awful | careful |
Oppressing with fear or horror; appalling, terrible.
Inspiring awe; filling with profound reverence or respect; profoundly impressive.
*, I.56:
* 1819 , Lord Byron, Don Juan , II.143:
Struck or filled with awe.
(obsolete) Terror-stricken.
Worshipful; reverential; law-abiding.
Exceedingly great; usually applied intensively.
Very bad.
(colloquial) Very, extremely; as, an awful big house.
(obsolete) Full of care or grief; sorrowful, sad.
*, Bk.V:
*:‘Alas,’ sayde Sir Cadore, ‘now carefull is myne herte that now lyeth dede my cosyn that I beste loved.’
(obsolete) Full of cares or anxiety; worried, troubled.
*1590 , (Edmund Spenser), The Faerie Queene , III.1:
*:Where through long watch, and late daies weary toile, / She soundly slept, and carefull thoughts did quite assoile.
Having care (for); attentive to potential danger, error or harm; cautious.
:He was a slow and careful driver.
Conscientious and painstaking; meticulous.
:They made a careful search of the crime scene.
As adjectives the difference between awful and careful
is that awful is oppressing with fear or horror; appalling, terrible while careful is (obsolete) full of care or grief; sorrowful, sad.As an adverb awful
is (colloquial) very, extremely; as, an awful big house.awful
English
Alternative forms
* awfull (archaic)Adjective
(en-adj)- God ought not to be commixed in our actions, but with awful reverence, and an attention full of honour and respect.
- And then she stopped, and stood as if in awe / (For sleep is awful ).
- an awful bonnet
- I have learnt an awful amount today.
- My socks smell awful .