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)
-
awes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
awed,
past participle, past
-
awing
present participle
-
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
awesimple
-
awessimple
-
have awedperfect
-
has awedperfect
-
am awingprogressive
-
are awingprogressive
-
is awingprogressive
-
have been awingperfect progressive
-
has been awingperfect progressive
Past
-
awedsimple
-
had awedperfect
-
was awingprogressive
-
were awingprogressive
-
had been awingperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
Mitch, who sees those types of injuries on a regular basis, was in awe of his brother’s pain threshold.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
“I’m just in awe watching her rebound,” teammate Allisha Gray said after Reese’s record-setting performance in L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
His results echo a previous study that tied momentary awe to reduced daily stress and, over time, higher life satisfaction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
"Sometimes I still look at him and think, 'how has he done this?'. How has he not just crumbled? I am just in awe of him."
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
High John led us to the foot of the large sycamore tree, and once again I stood in awe of its massive size.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
As for the fans, James awes, but he doesn’t quite connect.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2024
The keyboard introduction to What Was I Made For?, taken from the recent soundtrack to the Barbie movie, draws gasps and "awes" from around the field.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2023
The pace of building in South Korea awes, but there are gripes that the quality of public exhibitions, and professional standards, varies widely.
From New York Times ● Jan. 5, 2023
While Churchill awes spectators with its size and scope, on par with the world’s monumental stadiums, Keeneland, opened in 1936, guards its idyllic appeal.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 22, 2021
And godless though I am, the fact of being human, the fact of possessing the gift of study, and thus being remarkable among all the matter floating through the cosmos, still awes me.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
The total eclipse plunged a vast swathe of Spain from broad daylight into darkness Wednesday, drawing awed gasps and applause from spectators gathered in parks and cities across the country.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
"You've got to be awed by it all, which I never cease to be."
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Some might find it humanizing—proof that below the bloviating gestalt, the president can become awed by existential futility.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
“He started building this world when he was 14,” she says, still a little awed by his confidence.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
He didn’t know whether to be awed by that knowledge or terrified.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
He has a unique capacity for memorizing data that he frequently recites, awing listeners.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2023
Holmgren stole the show as a soloist at times, swatting shots, swooping for dunks and awing the crowd with his agility.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 23, 2021
Inside the Sistine Chapel, where in the past I have been shoved and elbowed by the crowds, about 30 spectators were awing over Perugino’s frescoes and craning to see Michelangelo’s burly musclemen on the ceiling.
From New York Times ● Jun. 25, 2021
The idea is to terrify the enemy: the effect will be to petrify ourselves, shocking and awing us into understanding the full implications of no deal.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 29, 2019
Oft Scyld the Scefing from squadroned foes, from many a tribe, the mead-bench tore, awing the earls.
From Beowulf by Francis Barton Gummere
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.
