1. (

• awful ,
• dire ,
• direful ,
• dread ,
• dreaded ,
• dreadful ,
• fearful ,
• fearsome ,
• frightening ,
• horrendous ,
• horrific ,
• terrible

) causing fear or dread or terror; "the awful war"; "an awful risk"; "dire news"; "a career or vengeance so direful that London was shocked"; "the dread presence of the headmaster"; "polio is no longer the dreaded disease it once was"; "a dreadful storm"; "a fearful howling"; "horrendous explosions shook the city"; "a terrible curse" ;

2. (

• atrocious ,
• abominable ,
• awful ,
• dreadful ,
• painful ,
• terrible ,
• unspeakable

) exceptionally bad or displeasing; "atrocious taste"; "abominable workmanship"; "an awful voice"; "dreadful manners"; "a painful performance"; "terrible handwriting"; "an unspeakable odor came sweeping into the room" ;

3. (

• severe ,
• terrible ,
• wicked

) intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality; "severe pain"; "a severe case of flu"; "a terrible cough"; "under wicked fire from the enemy's guns"; "a wicked cough" ;

4. (

• frightful ,
• terrible ,
• awful ,
• tremendous ,

) extreme in degree or extent or amount or impact; "in a frightful hurry"; "spent a frightful amount of money" ;