Emily Dickinson Lexicon

awful, adj. [see awe, n.] (webplay: chastisement, death, dread, eyes, fear, fills, great, place, prayer, reverence, silence, stand, strikes, terror).

1. Harrowing; horrible; forceful; destructively powerful; violently strong.
2. Immense; enormous; tremendous; impressive; [lit.] full of awe; awe-inspiring.
3. Profound; solemn; reverent; intensely significant.
4. Ghastly; spectral; unearthly.