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Awful vs Wicked - What's the difference?

awful | wicked | Related terms |

Awful is a related term of wicked.


As adjectives the difference between awful and wicked

is that awful is oppressing with fear or horror; appalling, terrible while wicked is evil or mischievous by nature or wicked can be having a wick.

As adverbs the difference between awful and wicked

is that awful is (colloquial) very, extremely; as, an awful big house while wicked is (slang|new england|british) very, extremely.

As a noun wicked is

people who are wickedoxford dictionary [http://wwwoxfordadvancedlearnersdictionarycom/dictionary/wicked_2].

As a verb wicked is

(wick).

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.

    External links

    * *

    wicked

    English

    Etymology 1

    1225-75 (etyl) wikked, wikke, an alteration of wicke, adjectival use of (etyl)

    Adjective

    (en-adj)
  • Evil or mischievous by nature.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
    • , chapter=6 citation , passage=‘[…] I remember a lady coming to inspect St. Mary's Home where I was brought up and seeing us all in our lovely Elizabethan uniforms we were so proud of, and bursting into tears all over us because “it was wicked to dress us like charity children”. […]’.}}
  • (slang)  Excellent; awesome; masterful; deeply satisfying.
    • Usage notes
    * Nouns to which "wicked" is often applied: witch, person, man, woman, angel, deed, act, pleasure, delight, game, way, night, word.
    Synonyms
    * (evil or mischievous) evil, immoral, malevolent, malicious, nefarious, twisted, villainous, See also * awesome, bad, cool, dope, excellent, far out, groovy, hot, rad, See also
    Derived terms
    * wickedly * wickedness * wicked tongue

    Adverb

    (-)
  • (slang, New England, British) Very, extremely.
    • The band we went to see the other night was wicked loud!
    Synonyms
    * hella, helluv (primarily Northern California slang )

    Noun

  • People who are wicked.Oxford dictionary [http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/dictionary/wicked_2].

    • Etymology 2

    See (wick)

    Verb

    (head)
  • (wick)

    • Adjective

    (-)
  • Having a wick.
    • a two-wicked lamp
  • (British, dialect, chiefly, Yorkshire) Infested with maggots.

    • References

    English degree adverbs English heteronyms English intensifiers