completely awful

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "completely awful" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
You can use it when you want to emphasize that something is extremely unpleasant or bad. For example: "She was wearing a completely awful outfit to the gala."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

25 human-written examples

It's a completely awful job.

The New York Times

The movie, though, isn't completely awful.

The New York Times

The Wallabies haven't been completely awful, and weren't completely awful in Sydney on Saturday night.

The Guardian - Sport

To be fair, this might not be completely awful.

The Guardian - Film

But when somebody who seems mostly good does something completely awful, we're rendered mute or confused.

The New York Times

After racking my brains, I managed to come up with … somethings that were not completely awful.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

35 human-written examples

All awful.

Independent

Among lots of other cobblers, I said: "Oh God, you mustn't feel remotely weird – with my first one I just felt completely fucking awful.

The Guardian - Opinion

I could describe all the other designers in detail, but for the sake of brevity, Jules and Agi seem to be the only people in attendance who are not completely fucking awful.

Vice

"We make really good factual programming – it would be a stupid move for us to be led into something that was completely tabloid and awful.

Independent

He's also one of the funniest dads in literature - it's hard not to cheer for him as he saves the day and completely outwits the awful Boggis, Bunce and Bean.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "completely awful" to express strong disapproval or negativity, but consider the context to ensure it's appropriate for your audience and purpose. In formal contexts, slightly milder alternatives might be preferred.

Common error

While "completely awful" is acceptable in many contexts, avoid overusing it in formal or professional writing. Alternatives like "highly unsatisfactory" or "extremely problematic" may be more suitable.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "completely awful" functions as an adjectival phrase, modifying a noun to express a strong negative evaluation. As seen in Ludwig, it amplifies the adjective "awful" to convey a high degree of unpleasantness.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

70%

Wiki

10%

Formal & Business

5%

Less common in

Science

5%

Encyclopedias

5%

Reference

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "completely awful" is a common and grammatically correct adjectival phrase used to express strong negativity or disapproval. According to Ludwig, it's frequently found in news and media contexts and is considered relatively informal. While acceptable in many situations, more formal alternatives may be preferable in professional settings. The phrase effectively amplifies the negative connotation of "awful" to convey a strong sense of dislike or poor quality.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

utterly terrible

Replaces "awful" with "terrible" and "completely" with "utterly", emphasizing the severity.

absolutely dreadful

Substitutes "awful" with "dreadful" and "completely" with "absolutely", conveying intense dislike or disappointment.

downright horrible

Replaces "completely awful" with "downright horrible", keeping a similar level of intensity and negativity.

thoroughly atrocious

Uses "atrocious" instead of "awful" and "thoroughly" instead of "completely", indicating extreme badness or cruelty.

perfectly wretched

Substitutes "awful" with "wretched" and "completely" with "perfectly", highlighting misery or distress.

entirely unpleasant

Replaces "awful" with "unpleasant" and "completely" with "entirely", softening the tone slightly.

wholly objectionable

Replaces "awful" with "objectionable" and "completely" with "wholly", suggesting something is unacceptable or offensive.

unreservedly bad

Emphasizes the lack of reservation in expressing how bad something is, using the word 'bad' instead of 'awful'.

plain bad

Uses a simpler construction to express a negative sentiment. Omits 'completely' for a more casual tone.

unmitigated disaster

Emphasizes the scope and severity of the issue. Replaces 'awful' with 'disaster' for a more dramatic effect.

FAQs

What does "completely awful" mean?

The phrase "completely awful" means something is extremely bad or unpleasant. It intensifies the adjective "awful" with the adverb "completely".

How can I use "completely awful" in a sentence?

You can use "completely awful" to describe things like experiences, performances, or situations you find highly undesirable. For instance, "The food at that restaurant was "completely awful"."

What can I say instead of "completely awful"?

You can use alternatives like "utterly terrible", "absolutely dreadful", or "entirely unpleasant" depending on the context.

Is "completely awful" formal or informal?

The phrase "completely awful" is generally considered informal. In formal contexts, you might prefer alternatives like "highly unsatisfactory" or "extremely problematic".