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Awful vs Dirty - What's the difference?

awful | dirty | Related terms |

Awful is a related term of dirty.


As adjectives the difference between awful and dirty

is that awful is oppressing with fear or horror; appalling, terrible while dirty is unclean; covered with or containing unpleasant substances such as dirt or grime.

As adverbs the difference between awful and dirty

is that awful is (colloquial) very, extremely; as, an awful big house while dirty is in a dirty manner.

As a verb dirty is

to make (something) dirty.

awful

English

Alternative forms

* awfull (archaic)

Adjective

(en-adj)
  • Oppressing with fear or horror; appalling, terrible.
  • Inspiring awe; filling with profound reverence or respect; profoundly impressive.
  • *, I.56:
  • God ought not to be commixed in our actions, but with awful reverence, and an attention full of honour and respect.
  • * 1819 , Lord Byron, Don Juan , II.143:
  • And then she stopped, and stood as if in awe / (For sleep is awful ).
  • Struck or filled with awe.
  • (obsolete) Terror-stricken.
  • Worshipful; reverential; law-abiding.
  • Exceedingly great; usually applied intensively.
  • an awful bonnet
    I have learnt an awful amount today.
  • Very bad.
  • My socks smell awful .

    Usage notes

    * Nouns to which "awful" is often applied: day, truth, time, place, moment, mess, night, news, state, situation, smell, thought, person, pain, movie, consequence, crime, fate, death, tragedy, man, event, disease, story, condition, mistake, taste, picture, year, calamity, doom, film, catastrophe, secret, performance, storm, end, week, shape, choice.

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Adverb

    (-)
  • (colloquial) Very, extremely; as, an awful big house.
  • See also

    * awfully.

    dirty

    English

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Unclean; covered with or containing unpleasant substances such as dirt or grime.
  • *
  • That makes one unclean; corrupting, infecting.
  • Morally unclean; obscene or indecent, especially sexually.
  • Dishonourable; violating accepted standards or rules.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-21, author=(Oliver Burkeman)
  • , volume=189, issue=2, page=27, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= The tao of tech , passage=The dirty secret of the internet is that all this distraction and interruption is immensely profitable.
  • Corrupt, illegal, or improper.
  • Out of tune.
  • Of color, discolored by impurities.
  • (computing) Containing data which need to be written back to a larger memory.
  • (slang) Carrying illegal drugs among one's possessions or inside of one's bloodstream.
  • (informal) Used as an intensifier, especially in conjunction with "great".
  • Sleety; gusty; stormy.
  • * M. Arnold
  • Storms of wind, clouds of dust, an angry, dirty sea.
  • * (Douglas Adams),
  • Rain type 17 was a dirty blatter battering against his windscreen so hard that it didn't make much odds whether he had his wipers on or off.

    Synonyms

    * (covered with or containing dirt) filthy, soiled, sordid, unclean, unwashed; see also * (violating accepted standards or rules) cheating, foul, unsporting, unsportsmanlike * (obtained illegally or by improper means) ill-gotten * (considered morally corrupt) base, dishonest, dishonorable, filthy, despicable, lousy, mean, sordid, unethical, vile * (considered obscene or indecent) indecent, lewd, obscene, raunchy, salacious * dingy, dullish, muddied, muddy

    Antonyms

    * (covered with or containing dirt) clean * (violating accepted standards or rules) sportsmanlike * bright, pure

    Derived terms

    * dirtiness * dirty bomb * dirty code * dirty dance * dirty dancing * dirty girl * dirty grease * Dirty Harry * dirty joke * dirty laundry * dirty look * dirty magazine * dirty mouth * dirty old man * dirty rice * dirty Sanchez * dirty talk * dirty weather * dirty word * dirty work * dirty wound * do someone dirty * filthy dirty * quick-and-dirty * quick and dirty

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • In a dirty manner.
  • Synonyms

    * (in a dirty manner) deceptively, dirtily, indecently, underhandedly

    Derived terms

    * talk dirty

    Verb

    (en-verb)
  • To make (something) dirty.
  • To stain or tarnish (somebody) with dishonor.
  • To debase by distorting the real nature of (something).
  • To become soiled.
  • Synonyms

    * (to make dirty) soil, taint; see also * (to stain or tarnish with dishonor) sully