What’s the difference between awful and awesome? – Ravi, US
Answer
In their most common uses, these two adjectives have nearly opposite meanings. Awful means “extremely bad or unpleasant,” and awesome means “extremely good,” as shown in the examples below.
The music was awful. We left as soon as we could.
They heard the most awful sounds.
We had an awesome time at the concert.
You did an awesome job on that paper. I'm sure you got a good grade.
It is important to be aware that awesome can also be used to mean “inspiring feelings of fear and amazement,” as in the example below, but this is a less much common use.
I will always remember the awesome sight of the erupting volcano.
For additional details, please see the entries for awful and awesome in Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary Online.
