WordGarden.iofoully
B2Pronunciation
UK
- /fˈaʊli/
US
Meanings
Adverb
in a wicked, immoral, or dishonorable way
in a filthy, disgusting, or physically offensive way
with profane, obscene, or abusive language
More meaningsFewer meanings
by breaking the rules of a sport or game
Beyond the definition
To act foully means to behave in a very wrong, unfair, dishonest, or offensive way. It often suggests more than a simple mistake. The action feels dirty, cruel, or morally bad, like something done with bad intent or with no care for what is right.
The word has a strong tone and often appears in older writing, dramatic stories, or serious descriptions of crime and betrayal. You might read about someone being foully murdered, cheated, or treated. It would sound too dramatic for small everyday accidents, because it usually points to serious wrongdoing. The word "foul" means unpleasant, offensive, or unfair, and adding "-ly" makes it describe how something is done.
The adverb "foully" describes actions done in a shockingly wrong, unjust, dishonest, offensive, or cruel way. It is stronger than simply saying something was done badly. It usually suggests moral blame, unfair treatment, or behavior that feels dirty in an ethical sense.
You'll often encounter "foully" in historical contexts, especially in stories about crimes, betrayals, violence, or abuse. Shakespeare and other older writers used it to heighten drama and stress the ugliness of an act. In Macbeth, for example, Banquo suspects that Macbeth acted "most foully" to gain the crown. That use shows how the word can suggest cheating, treachery, and a serious break with what is right.
The word isn't common in everyday conversation; it feels dramatic and somewhat old-fashioned. You would not usually say someone drove foully on the highway; words like "recklessly" or "dangerously" fit better there. Instead, you might read that someone was foully betrayed, that a name was foully stained by lies, or that a law or agreement was foully broken.
Foully is also used for the way someone is treated. A prisoner might be foully abused, an innocent person foully accused, or a victim foully wronged. In many cases, the word carries the idea of serious harm mixed with unfairness or moral ugliness. So when you encounter foully, expect a strong judgment: something deeply wrong, offensive, or unjust has happened.
Examples
- 1
Pollution
The lake was once so foully polluted that no fish could live in it.
- 2
Unfair treatment
She believed she had been foully treated by the people she trusted most.
- Phrasefoully treated
treated very unfairly or cruelly
- 3
Murder
In the novel, the king is foully murdered before dawn.
See also
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- foullyadverb