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
-
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
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Other 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.
Lyricist Sir Tim Rice said he "was in awe of nearly everything" Sir Tom did.
From BBC
We are in awe of just how quiet the cabin of the current Crosstrek is because previous generations wore their coarseness like a badge of honor.
From MarketWatch
"But I have a feeling that the shock and awe is wearing off."
From Barron's
From shock and awe to shocking and awful.
From BBC
She said the family were "in awe" of the home, which featured heavily in the 2019 Christmas special and consider themselves very thankful to have bought it.
From BBC
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.
