Comments on: Awful / Awkward / Awesome http://www.word-detective.com/2009/10/awful-awkward-awesome/ Semper Ubi Sub Ubi Wed, 20 Mar 2013 19:32:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: English (language): Why is "awesome" positive and "awful" negative? - Quora http://www.word-detective.com/2009/10/awful-awkward-awesome/comment-page-1/#comment-39971 English (language): Why is "awesome" positive and "awful" negative? - Quora Thu, 24 May 2012 16:32:05 +0000 http://www.word-detective.com/?p=2080#comment-39971 [...] the 18th century, probably from repeated use of “awful” to mean “so bad as to inspire awe.”http://www.word-detective.com/20...Via Gene Linetsky.Comment Loading... • Post • 9:31am  Add [...] [...] the 18th century, probably from repeated use of “awful” to mean “so bad as to inspire awe.”http://www.word-detective.com/20…Via Gene Linetsky.Comment Loading… • Post • 9:31am  Add [...]

]]> By: FortyArc http://www.word-detective.com/2009/10/awful-awkward-awesome/comment-page-1/#comment-3185 FortyArc Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:48:05 +0000 http://www.word-detective.com/?p=2080#comment-3185 There are a whole bunch of words like 'awesome' that today mean something positive but that used to be more neutral or even negative. <i>Wonderful</i> used to mean surprising, curious, or shocking. Something that is wonderful makes you think and wonder. <i>Fabulous</i> has the same root word as <i>fable</i>, and (like <i>incredible</i>) used to mean something that was too strange to believe. <i>Fantastic</i> used to mean something out of imagination or fantasy that wasn't or couldn't be real. <i>Terrific</i> comes from <i>terror</i> and referred to something that was frightening. I keep running across that use of <i>wonderful</i> in Jane Austen, and I think I've found <i>fantastic</i> and <i>terrific</i> in their older meanings used by H.G. Wells. There are a whole bunch of words like ‘awesome’ that today mean something positive but that used to be more neutral or even negative.

Wonderful used to mean surprising, curious, or shocking. Something that is wonderful makes you think and wonder.

Fabulous has the same root word as fable, and (like incredible) used to mean something that was too strange to believe.

Fantastic used to mean something out of imagination or fantasy that wasn’t or couldn’t be real.

Terrific comes from terror and referred to something that was frightening.

I keep running across that use of wonderful in Jane Austen, and I think I’ve found fantastic and terrific in their older meanings used by H.G. Wells.

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