Awfulizing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The act of perceiving or portraying circumstances in an exaggeratedly negative light
2. The process of interpreting events as far worse than they actually are
3. A tendency to magnify problems or potential threats beyond realistic bounds

Etymology: "Awfulizing" is built from "awful" and the suffix "-ize", which turns an adjective into a verb meaning to make or treat something in a particular way. "Awful" itself began in Middle English as "full of awe," so that a thing that inspired reverence or dread was awful, and only later did the word drift toward its present sense of very bad. The verb "awfulize" therefore sounds like "to make into something awful," and the modern meaning follows naturally: to treat a minor setback as a catastrophe. The -ize ending works the same way in many verbs such as "criticize" or "mobilize," so the new word needed no special invention. What is striking is how a word once tied to awe and solemnity now describes the habit of magnifying trouble. The "-ing" form simply names the act of doing this.