Awful being bachelor nowadays (3)
I believe the answer is:
bad
'awful' is the definition.
('bad' can be similar in meaning to 'awful')
'bachelor nowadays' is the wordplay.
'bachelor' becomes 'b' (abbreviation e.g. BA=Bachelor of Arts).
'nowadays' becomes 'ad'.
'b'+'ad'='BAD'
'being' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for bad that I've seen before include "Spoiled or evil" , "Of poor quality" , "Severe; of low standard" , "Harmful" , "Stinking" .)