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.
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Obsolete. fear or dread.
verb (used with object)
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to inspire with awe.
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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
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has awedperfect 3rd person singular
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have awedperfect
-
am awingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been awingperfect progressive
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has been awingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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are awingprogressive
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is awingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
awingparticiple
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awessingular 3rd person
Past
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had awedperfect
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had been awingperfect progressive
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were awingprogressive plural
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was awingprogressive singular
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awedparticiple
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awedsimple
Future
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.
For centuries, we have looked up at the night sky in awe and wonder, but if you are new to stargazing, the Summer Triangle is a good place to start.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
One of them said, with awe, they’d even spotted a member of Congress recently.
From Salon • May 29, 2026
You are expected to sit in worshipful, silent awe for hours.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
“She found a sense of purpose and an engine she didn’t know she had. Her colleagues were in awe of her single-mindedness.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
Water had always filled me with awe in its majestic settings, its cool repose, but everything about this lake was a terror to me because I couldn’t admire it from any place of safety.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
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.
