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)
-
to inspire with awe.
-
to influence or restrain by awe.
noun
-
overwhelming wonder, admiration, respect, or dread
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archaic power to inspire fear or reverence
verb
Other Word Forms
- aweless adjective
- outawe verb (used with object)
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”
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.
A mention of the illustrious bird-of-paradise flower elicits coos and awe from the women.
From Los Angeles Times
Shock and awe over the Venezuelan capital followed.
“What my grandfather did was astronomical and to this day I’m in awe, and I like to honor him,” said Reese, who was 7 when Hershey bought the family business.
For example, he kicks off, “Before I start in, I want to try to communicate the level of awe with which I viewed Claude’s output.”
From MarketWatch
For example, he kicks off with, “Before I start in, I want to try to communicate the level of awe with which I viewed Claude’s output”.
From MarketWatch
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.
