As against a pile of ignorant online writers who don’t deserve a clear mention, the word “godawful” is from the 19th century, way back when.
The word does not mean what they think it means…
- God=God.
- Awful=full of awe, evoking or inspiring awe.
So: God-awful=inspiring awe of God in its size, etc., through divine association.
Likewise, Yamim Nora’im doesn’t mean “Awful Days” in the modern sense of awful, either (or at least it didn’t until the Mashgichim came along). “Nora” doesn’t mean bad.
God is great! That is, He is Good, and also helps inspire Fear of Heaven.
I recall a Radak somewhere saying the same regarding compounds hyphenated with “Elohim”.