awe-inspiring
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of awe-inspiring
First recorded in 1805–15
Explanation
When something is so astonishing or magnificent that you can hardly speak, it's awe-inspiring. You dream might be to travel to Arizona to see the awe-inspiring sight of the Grand Canyon. What's awe-inspiring is in the eye of the beholder — in other words, your first visit to New York may provide one awe-inspiring sight after another, from the towering skyscrapers to the Statue of Liberty. Someone born and raised there might be unimpressed, finding the rugged coast of Maine to be far more awe-inspiring. If something inspires a feeling of awe in you (a sense of overwhelming wonder), it's awe-inspiring.
Vocabulary lists containing awe-inspiring
Amazing
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Amazing
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Amazing
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
“It’s beautiful and awe inspiring, and the acoustics are really amazing,” he said, “but our whole thing was finding venues that were big enough to hold a lot of people.”
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2023
But he will be attending on Saturday for "the bizarre, the uncanny, the stupefying spectacular, the awe inspiring".
From BBC • May 5, 2023
“It’s funny to take something which should be awe inspiring and serious and grandiose, and doodling bums in the corner of it,” Brooker said.
From New York Times • Feb. 2, 2023
Lewis’s ability to forgive those who physically assaulted him in the 1960s — and in so doing betrayed American democracy — is both awe inspiring and complicates that movement’s legacy in important ways.
From Washington Post • Sep. 29, 2021
I imagined that seeing a Muslim American in hijab who wasn’t on screen to talk politics or terrorism but rather something positive and awe inspiring like my Olympic journey had to have a positive effect.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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.
