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:
Barlow added that it gave "genuine hope" in the battle to reverse biodiversity decline and ensure future generations across Scotland, England and Wales could experience the "incredible sense of awe" when seeing a golden eagle.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
About 20 minutes later, team captain Christian Yelich finally made his way into the clubhouse, still in awe of what was happening in the stands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Visiting it brings back childhood memories of watching a launch in awe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
While I spoke with 20 people for this piece, I received 178 individual responses of all kinds, ranging from shock and awe to relative disappointment to distinctly modern moviegoing gripes.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
“Here it is. It says, ‘a marvel; that which arouses awe, astonishment, surprise, or admiration.’”
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
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
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
The teacher has already inserted into the hat the rabbit whose production in the classroom awes the undergraduates.
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 24, 2015
He rushes 32-yards after drawing more awes when he made a couple of impressive cuts -- he then dragged defenders on his back a few yards before finally going down.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2014
There is an innocence in him that I have found merely foreign and foolish; yet in another moment that seeming innocence reveals a discipline of knowledge and a largeness of purpose that awes me.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
It was a moment of personal fulfilment for Sir Patrick who, as an awed teenager, remembered watching Peter O'Toole in the play at the Bristol Old Vic.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
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
Admissions officers described numerous times where a seemingly far-fetched application proved true, and awed them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
It’s only humans who have attached words like “wild” and “unexplored” to regions where they feel uncertain, afraid, and even awed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Forgetting the stone, Guosim spoke in an awed voice, “D’you mean you actually intend to walk right up and speak to Snow?”
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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
In one space as awing as any I saw on my underground weekend, the 14 of us walked into a veritable canyon, with a natural vaulted ceiling.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 26, 2019
The old alchemist was a secretive and pretentious person and used to invent queer names for the purpose of mystifying and awing the ignorant.
From Creative Chemistry Descriptive of Recent Achievements in the Chemical Industries by Edwin E. Slosson
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
