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
-
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.
“Here it is. It says, ‘a marvel; that which arouses awe, astonishment, surprise, or admiration.’”
From Literature
Sensing the little creature's genuine puzzlement, Jeremy's feelings shifted from awe to protectiveness.
From Literature
When Tom Brady called Seattle’s NFC Championship win over the Rams, he was also left in awe of Smith-Njigba’s subtle gifts.
The techies using OpenClaw have taken to social media in awe, many posting about what their AI assistants are up to.
They looked at him with what seemed like awe but asked nothing more as they headed home.
From Literature
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.
