As a Verb or Adjective: 1. To be not very good, or not very nice; to be very unpleasant, shocking or bad. English = (be) awful, (be) dreadful. 2. To be extremely unpleasant such that you cannot look at something and often enough to make you feel physically sick. English = (be) disgusting. 3. (Of people's actions or attitudes) to be so bad that the person ought to feel uncomfortable because they have done or said something wrong or embarrassing for themselves and others. English = (be) shameful. Interactive: 1. Used alone to mean that you are very sorry that something happened, especially unfortunate to someone else. English = 'Shame!'