more awful

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "more awful" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to compare the degree of awfulness between two or more things. Example: "The weather today is more awful than it was yesterday."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

"I can't think of anything more awful.

The Guardian - Film

"It sounds more awful than it is".

The New York Times - Magazine

And the more awful it becomes for her.

The New Yorker

"But, in other countries it was more awful".

The New York Times

Before Mr. Ramappa left, he whispered more awful news.

The New York Times

Buck's real gifts made her decline all the more awful to witness.

The New York Times - Books

That kind of guilt is one more awful moral injury of war.

The New York Times

But now every day it's becoming more devilish and more awful.

The Guardian - Arts

At times, when he considered the more awful revelations from Mr. Lo, Mr. Gibson sounded depressed.

The New York Times

We say they were caught napping, as if nothing were more awful.

The New York Times

There's no more awful social solecism than accusing someone of being dead when they aren't.

The Guardian - Opinion

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

While "more awful" is perfectly acceptable, consider using stronger synonyms like "more appalling" or "more dreadful" to add impact to your writing, especially in descriptive or persuasive contexts.

Common error

Avoid relying too heavily on "awful" as your go-to descriptor for negative situations. Vary your vocabulary by using more precise adjectives such as "terrible", "horrific", or "dreadful" to convey the specific nature of the unpleasantness.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "more awful" functions as a comparative adjective phrase. It modifies a noun by expressing a greater degree of the quality of being awful, as shown in Ludwig examples.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

75%

Formal & Business

10%

Academia

5%

Less common in

Science

3%

Encyclopedias

2%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "more awful" is a grammatically sound and common phrase used to express a higher degree of unpleasantness. As Ludwig AI points out, it is deemed correct and usable in written English. While acceptable in various contexts, ranging from news to casual conversation, consider stronger synonyms for increased impact. Over-reliance on "awful" can be mitigated by exploring alternatives like "more terrible" or "more dreadful". As shown by Ludwig's examples, it's a versatile phrase that effectively conveys negativity in comparative scenarios.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

more terrible

Direct synonym, using a slightly more common adjective.

worse

Concise alternative expressing a higher degree of badness.

more dreadful

Emphasizes a sense of fear or dismay in addition to being awful.

more appalling

Highlights the shocking or disturbing nature of something.

more horrendous

Implies extreme horribleness or frightfulness.

more atrocious

Stresses wickedness or cruelty.

more frightful

Emphasizes the fear-inducing quality.

more ghastly

Suggests a repulsive or deathlike quality.

more disagreeable

Focuses on unpleasantness or causing discomfort.

more objectionable

Highlights that something is causing opposition or disapproval.

FAQs

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

You can use "more awful" to compare the degree of unpleasantness between two things. For example, "The traffic today was "more awful" than yesterday."

What's a simple substitute for "more awful"?

A simpler alternative is "worse", which directly expresses a higher degree of badness.

When is it appropriate to use "more awful"?

"More awful" is appropriate in most contexts where you want to express that something is particularly unpleasant, but consider stronger synonyms like "more appalling" for greater impact.

Which is correct, "more awful" or "awfuller"?

"More awful" is the correct comparative form. "Awfuller" is not standard English.