Over time, the meaning of "awful" shifted, becoming associated with "inspiring fear" or "dreadful". This change was likely influenced by the association of awe with powerful and sometimes terrifying forces.
Finally, "awful" evolved to its current meaning of "extremely bad" or "terrible". This shift occurred in the 18th century and is likely due to the influence of the expression "awful bad," which was used to emphasize negativity.
So, the original meaning of "awful" was quite different from its current usage. It's an example of how language can evolve over time and how words can take on completely different meanings.