awe
Americannoun
-
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
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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
- 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”
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.
They do so in grief and horror, but also in awe.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
Artemis II astronauts expressed awe on Saturday over their record-setting lunar flyby mission, urging unity on Earth after witnessing the planet's isolation like a "lifeboat" in space.
From Barron's • Apr. 11, 2026
She hardly shares the same flare for the dramatic, or the desire to shock and awe the press, as her husband.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
While we all need periodic reminders that pierce through the monotony and horrors of the day, awe of nature and our fragile existence being paramount, we also need reminders that a better future is possible.
From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026
He was a foreigner, and although I no longer stood in awe of him, still the secret had been long locked up in my breast and would not come out easily.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
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.
