Green’s Dictionary of Slang

awfully, very, extremely.

1824		R.B. Peake Americans Abroad I i: An awful desperate, gawky kind of fellow.
1836		T. Haliburton Clockmaker I 154: English quality ladies were awful bold.
1848		G.F. Ruxton Life in the Far West (1849) 57: They became [...] ‘awful fond,’ and consequently about once a-week had their tiffs and makes-up.
1853		‘Cuthbert Bede’ Adventures of Mr Verdant Green (1982) I 7: So he warms him too; and then we go on all jolly. It’s awful fun, I can tell you.
1858		‘Joe Bowers’ in Lingenfelter et al. Songs of the Amer. West (1968) 97: She’d married with a butcher, whose har was orful red!
1861		M.E. Braddon Trail of the Serpent 210: They’ve been a chaffing of him awful.
1866		Wild Boys of London I 36/2: We has passed five men as squinted hawful.
1873		J. Greenwood In Strange Company 7: She grabs all they earn [...] and punches them about orful cos they don’t bring her more.
1874		Cultivator and Country Gentleman (US) 10 Dec. 799/1: ‘Awful’ is considered a better word than very, and we are awful cold, or hot, or sick, or jolly, as the case may be.
1889		G.R. Sims Horrible London 140: Mother drinks ‘awful.’ Dropped baby on pavement.
1899		Ade Fables in Sl. (1902) 140: Marie turned him down for a Bucket Shop Man, who was not Handsome, but was awful Generous.
1902		J.A. Riis Battle with the Slum 251: The Kid’s been cussin’ awful.
1905		Marvel III:53 7: ‘You say he looked fearfully scared after the thing was done?’ ‘Awful!’ said Kippers.
1910		O. Johnson Varmint 254: It was awful white!
1914		W.L. George Making of an Englishman II 198: She did go on awful when a’ got ’ome.
1922		in R. Butterfield Sat. Eve. Post Treasury (1954) 1 July 266: Edith’s pretty awful sedate.
1930		E. Waugh Vile Bodies 133: I say, I’ve met an awful good chap called Miles. Regular topper.
1939		J. Steinbeck Grapes of Wrath (1951) 210: She ain’t breathin’ at all. She’s awful dead.
1943		W. Guthrie Bound for Glory (1969) 369: You know, you’re an awful, awful smart girl.
1945		Botkin Lay My Burden Down 160: Massa Black was awful cruel.
1952		W.R. Burnett Little Men, Big World 63: Her old man kicked her out. That’s awful strict.
1961		R. Gover One Hundred Dollar Misunderstanding 75: An here we go, jes a-wingdingin something awful, jes a-drivin home like we boff gonna flip.
1964		J.A. Lee Shiner Slattery 71: On this day Michael Doolan ‘was carrying on something awful’.
1976		N. Thornburg Cutter and Bone (2001) 38: People want this guy awful bad.
1986		T. Winton That Eye, The Sky 117: Mum came in and went crook something awful.