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awful vs awesome

M

mdchesne

Banned
why is one bad and the other good? is something that is full of awe bad? If something only had some awe, why is it so great?
awful = full of awe
awesome = some of awe
so why the difference?

and if you say "I feel awfully good", is that an oxymoron?

english is weeeiirrrddd
 
Originally posted by: mdchesne
wow, you're intelligent. stop trying to look for posts and think b4
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english is so weird that you didnt even finish that sentence 😕

and there is no such word as "aweful"
 
In cases like these, your best bet is to look at the roots and word origins.

From dictionary.com for awful:

[Middle English aweful, awe-inspiring, blend of awe, awe; see awe, and *ayfull, awful (from Old English egefull : ege, dread + -full, -ful).] So I guess it was egefull + awe > awful?
 
Originally posted by: bonkers325
Originally posted by: mdchesne
wow, you're intelligent. stop trying to look for posts and think b4
Click to expand...

english is so weird that you didnt even finish that sentence 😕

and there is no such word as "aweful"
Click to expand...

how about awefulsome. that looks right.

😛
 
Originally posted by: mdchesne
Originally posted by: Sheepathon
You're aware that it's spelled "awful," which completely removes the "awe" meaning from the word and renders your post useless, right?
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m'bad, spelling. but the post remains legit:
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=awful
Filled with awe, especially:
a. Filled with or displaying great reverence.
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Click to expand...

From dictionary.com for awe:

awe Audio pronunciation of "awe" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (ô)
n.

1. A mixed emotion of reverence, respect, dread, and wonder inspired by authority, genius, great beauty, sublimity, or might: We felt awe when contemplating the works of Bach. The observers were in awe of the destructive power of the new weapon.
2. Archaic.
1. The power to inspire dread.
2. Dread.

Another thing is, we tend to use "awesome" to normally mean something magnificent or wonderous. When it's true definition is what is posted above.
 
Originally posted by: BigJ
In cases like these, your best bet is to look at the roots and word origins.

From dictionary.com for awful:

[Middle English aweful, awe-inspiring, blend of awe, awe; see awe, and *ayfull, awful (from Old English egefull : ege, dread + -full, -ful).] So I guess it was egefull + awe > awful?
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perhaps, the butchering of english words over the years continues! woot
 
Note under the entry for "awful" in Webster's Unabridged (there is no "aweful" entry):

" Usage: In informal use, there is no objection to AWFUL in the sense of 'very bad, ugly, mean, etc.,' but it has been so overworked that it is ineffective. It is still generally avoided in formal use except in the sense of 'awe-inspiring.'"
 
exactly. I would do a doubletake on someone saying the, for example, Eiffel Tower was "awful", in the origional sense of the word. and yet, even awesome (as explained above by BigJ), which uses the full "awe" and not "aw" which is most definately defined as archaic, is used to describe the best possible outcome or experience or feeling.

I like the idea the word came from a butchered form of ege, but I can;t rule out the possibility of a historical slang background. We use slagn everyday and even manipulate words to express something totally different. Like "wicked" as something "cool" which in turn means something pleasurable or "neat" which in turn doesn't mean pleasurable, but organized. lol. kinda fun tracking down slang. So perhaps sometime in the past, someone used awful as something bad (like wicked for something good nowadays... actually, that slang term is old, but you get my "drift". LOL~!)
 
Originally posted by: mdchesne
why is one bad and the other good? is something that is full of awe bad? If something only had some awe, why is it so great?
awful = full of awe
awesome = some of awe
so why the difference?

and if you say "I feel awfully good", is that an oxymoron?

english is weeeiirrrddd
Click to expand...

This post is AWFUL! Its making my head hurt, and now i think i have to take 2 points off my already jacked up IQ Score from that other thread. Thank you, we are all much more stupid because of your crappy post.
 
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