aw|ful ◆◇◇ /ɔː fʊl/
1 ADJ If you say that someone or something is awful , you dislike that person or thing or you think that they are not very good. □ We met and I thought he was awful. □ …an awful smell of paint. □ Even if the weather's awful there's lots to do. □ Jeans look awful on me. ● aw|ful|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ The programme's awfulness has ensured it is talked about.
2 ADJ If you say that something is awful , you mean that it is extremely unpleasant, shocking, or bad. □ Her injuries were massive. It was awful. □ Some of their offences are so awful they would chill the blood.
3 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If you look or feel awful , you look or feel ill. □ I hardly slept at all and felt pretty awful.
4 ADJ [ADJ n] You can use awful with noun groups that refer to an amount in order to emphasize how large that amount is. [EMPHASIS ] □ I've got an awful lot of work to do. ● aw|ful|ly ADV [usu ADV adj/adv] □ Would you mind awfully waiting a bit, I'll be back right away.
5 ADV [ADV adj] You can use awful with adjectives that describe a quality in order to emphasize that particular quality. [AM , INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ Gosh, you're awful pretty.
awhile /ə h wa I l/ ADV [usu ADV after v] Awhile means for a short time. It is more commonly spelled 'a while', which is considered more correct, especially in British English. □ He worked awhile as a pharmacist in Cincinnati.
awk|ward /ɔː kwə r d/
1 ADJ An awkward situation is embarrassing and difficult to deal with. □ I was the first to ask him awkward questions but there'll be harder ones to come. □ There was an awkward moment as couples decided whether to stand next to their partners. ● awk|ward|ly ADV [ADV adj/-ed] □ There was an awkwardly long silence.
2 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ , oft ADJ to-inf] Something that is awkward to use or carry is difficult to use or carry because of its design. A job that is awkward is difficult to do. □ It was small but heavy enough to make it awkward to carry. □ Full-size tripods can be awkward, especially if you're shooting a low-level subject. ● awk|ward|ly ADV [ADV -ed] □ The autoexposure button is awkwardly placed under the lens release button.
3 ADJ An awkward movement or position is uncomfortable or clumsy. □ Amy made an awkward gesture with her hands. ● awk|ward|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ He fell awkwardly and went down in agony clutching his right knee.
4 ADJ Someone who feels awkward behaves in a shy or embarrassed way. □ Women frequently say that they feel awkward taking the initiative in sex. ● awk|ward|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ 'This is Malcolm,' the girl said awkwardly, to fill the silence. ● awk|ward|ness N‑UNCOUNT
5 ADJ If you say that someone is awkward , you are critical of them because you find them unreasonable and difficult to live with or deal with. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ She's got to an age where she is being awkward.
awn|ing /ɔː n I ŋ/ (awnings ) N‑COUNT An awning is a piece of material attached to a caravan or building which provides shelter from the rain or sun.
awoke /əwoʊ k/ Awoke is the past tense of awake .
awok|en /əwoʊ kən/ Awoken is the past participle of awake .
AWOL /e I wɒl/
1 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If someone in the Armed Forces goes AWOL , they leave their post without the permission of a superior officer. AWOL is an abbreviation for 'absent without leave'.
2 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If you say that someone has gone AWOL , you mean that they have disappeared without telling anyone where they were going. [INFORMAL ]
awry /əra I / ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If something goes awry , it does not happen in the way it was planned. □ She was in a fury over a plan that had gone awry.
axe /æ ks/ (axes , axing , axed ) in AM, use ax 1 N‑COUNT An axe is a tool used for cutting wood. It consists of a heavy metal blade which is sharp at one edge and attached by its other edge to the end of a long handle.
2 VERB [usu passive] If someone's job or something such as a public service or a television programme is axed , it is ended suddenly and without discussion. □ [be V -ed] Community projects are being axed by hard-pressed social services departments.
3 N‑SING If a person or institution is facing the axe , that person is likely to lose their job or that institution is likely to be closed, usually in order to save money. [JOURNALISM ]
4 PHRASE If someone has an axe to grind , they are doing something for selfish reasons. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ [+ with ] He seems like a decent bloke and I've got no axe to grind with him.
axes Pronounced /æ ks I z/ for meaning 1 , and /æ ksiːz/ for meaning 2 . 1 Axes is the plural of axe .
2 Axes is the plural of axis .
axi|om /æ ksiəm/ (axioms ) N‑COUNT [oft N that] An axiom is a statement or idea which people accept as being true. [FORMAL ] □ …the long-held axiom that education leads to higher income.
axio|mat|ic /æ ksiəmæ t I k/ ADJ If something is axiomatic , it seems to be obviously true. [FORMAL ]
axis /æ ks I s/ (axes )
1 N‑COUNT An axis is an imaginary line through the middle of something.
2 N‑COUNT An axis of a graph is one of the two lines on which the scales of measurement are marked.