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.
-
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
-
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.
But this sort of awe and childlike wonder at the world, which I found very special.
From Los Angeles Times
His decision to decline left the U.S. president little choice but to deliver the shock and awe.
James still marvels with his abilities to be a force at this stage of his career, leaving teammates and opponents in awe.
From Los Angeles Times
His reference to Tolkien’s letters from the North Pole reminded me of how we used to dig up our yard to make sled tracks and reindeer footprints to create awe and wonder for our kids.
She melted into a crowd led by Goodyear staff, directing the fans around the entirety of the blimp — tiny planets orbiting a sun, pulled in by a gravitational force of awe and admiration.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
