awe
Americannoun
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an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like.
in awe of God; in awe of great political figures.
- Synonyms:
- veneration, wonder
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Archaic. power to inspire fear or reverence.
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Obsolete. fear or dread.
verb (used with object)
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to inspire with awe.
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to influence or restrain by awe.
noun
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overwhelming wonder, admiration, respect, or dread
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archaic power to inspire fear or reverence
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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awesimple
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awessimple
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have awedperfect
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has awedperfect
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am awingprogressive
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are awingprogressive
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is awingprogressive
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have been awingperfect progressive
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has been awingperfect progressive
Past
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awedsimple
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had awedperfect
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was awingprogressive
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were awingprogressive
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had been awingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of awe
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English aghe, awe, from Scandinavian; compare Old Norse agi “fear,” cognate with Gothic agis, Old English ege, Greek áchos “pain”
Explanation
Awe is a feeling of fear that is mixed with respect and wonder. You might gaze at the Grand Canyon with awe, marveling at its beauty and fearing its depth. Awe dates back to Middle English, and was borrowed from Old Norse, a Scandinavian language. In Middle English the word referred to intense fear. The related English word awful originally meant "full of or causing intense fear." And awesome, which originally meant "inspiring awe" now is used generally as a synonym for excellent.
Vocabulary lists containing awe
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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Essential Three-Letter Words, Part 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Even at the lowest point of a wind turbine, Witek expresses his awe at "the feeling of freedom" compared to the fourteen years he spent at the bottom of a mine.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
He yearned for that same level of comfort and awe at music and wanted to share that with a larger audience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
Folk from these parts gawping and filming their visitors in awe.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
But as visiting World Cup fans document their encounters with the U.S., millions are still watching along, scrolling through seemingly endless footage with a mixture of awe, pride, delight—and a renewed appreciation for home.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
"Shock and awe, Humbaba," I said, taking another step back.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
The keyboard introduction to What Was I Made For?, taken from the recent soundtrack to the Barbie movie, draws gasps and "awes" from around the field.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2023
While Churchill awes spectators with its size and scope, on par with the world’s monumental stadiums, Keeneland, opened in 1936, guards its idyllic appeal.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 22, 2021
The teacher has already inserted into the hat the rabbit whose production in the classroom awes the undergraduates.
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 24, 2015
Allen's move drew a few awes from the press box - it was slick.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2014
There is an innocence in him that I have found merely foreign and foolish; yet in another moment that seeming innocence reveals a discipline of knowledge and a largeness of purpose that awes me.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Some might find it humanizing—proof that below the bloviating gestalt, the president can become awed by existential futility.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
But it was a chance to capture the imaginations of new generations of future space explorers, while also calling back to the one-giant-step-for-mankind sense of awed enormity that characterized the 20th-century Space Race.
From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2026
Meagan’s awed expressions clearly demonstrated that as much as you know a place, you can always find more to amaze you.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
Gutierrez commended Slaton’s wilderness skills during a news conference last week, saying he was awed by how she endured a blizzard and foraged for survival.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2025
“Will you summon ’im? ‘ere?” said Scabior, sounding awed, terrified.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
He has a unique capacity for memorizing data that he frequently recites, awing listeners.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2023
Holmgren stole the show as a soloist at times, swatting shots, swooping for dunks and awing the crowd with his agility.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 23, 2021
Inside the Sistine Chapel, where in the past I have been shoved and elbowed by the crowds, about 30 spectators were awing over Perugino’s frescoes and craning to see Michelangelo’s burly musclemen on the ceiling.
From New York Times ● Jun. 25, 2021
The idea is to terrify the enemy: the effect will be to petrify ourselves, shocking and awing us into understanding the full implications of no deal.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 29, 2019
Your services in the lower part of South Carolina, in awing the Tories and preventing the enemy from extending their limits, have been very important.
From The Life of Francis Marion by Simms, William Gilmore
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
