awfulness
UK/ˈɔːflnəs/US/ˈɔːflnəs/
释义
n.
1.极度的糟糕或令人不快;可怕的性质或状态
2.威严;令人敬畏的性质
词源
概述
“Awfulness” 的构建逻辑清晰,始于核心词根 “awe”(敬畏),叠加后缀 “-ful” 构成形容词 “awful”(充满敬畏的→可怕的),再添加名词后缀 “-ness” 形成最终名词。其词义演变反映了情感强度的扩展:从最初的“令人敬畏的”(如神性威严)逐渐侧重负面含义“极糟的”,体现了人类对强大未知事物既崇敬又恐惧的双重心理。现代含义聚焦于负面极端性,但历史中曾保留“庄严”的痕迹。
例句
“The awfulness of the storm left the village in ruins.”
风暴的可怕性使村庄沦为废墟。
“She was struck by the awfulness of his betrayal.”
她被他背叛的恶劣程度所震惊。
“The awfulness of the dictator’s regime was exposed in the documentary.”
纪录片揭露了独裁政权的恐怖本质。