afschuwelijk

Afschuwelijk is a Dutch adjective used to describe something that causes disgust, horror, or extreme disapproval. The word originates from "afschuw," which means disgust or abhorrence, combined with the suffix "-elijk," which indicates a quality or characteristic. In English, it can be translated as awful, terrible, dreadful, horrible, or disgusting depending on the context.

This adjective is commonly used in everyday Dutch to express strong negative feelings about experiences, situations, or objects. For example, one might describe a movie as "afschuwelijk" if it is of extremely poor quality, or an action as "afschuwelijk" if it is morally reprehensible.

The intensity of "afschuwelijk" suggests a stronger negative reaction than words like "slecht" (bad) or "erg" (bad), placing it more in line with English terms like "appalling" or "atrocious." It carries a sense of moral judgment or strong emotional response rather than simple disapproval.

In Dutch grammar, "afschuwelijk" can be used both attributively (before a noun) and predicatively (after a linking verb), and it can be modified by adverbs like "echt" (really) or "absoluut" (absolutely) to emphasize the degree of negativity.