awesome

[ aw-suh m ]

/ ˈɔ səm /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR awesome ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

causing or inducing awe; inspiring an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, or fear: an awesome sight.

exhibiting or marked by awe; showing reverence, admiration, or fear.

Slang. very impressive: That new white convertible is totally awesome.

Nearby words

Origin of awesome

First recorded in 1590–1600; awe + -some¹

Related formsawe·some·ly, adverbawe·some·ness, noun

Can be confusedawful awesome offal

Usage note

See awful.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for awesome

We see Peck's character change and at the same time we see the awesome size of the forces he's up against.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Our awesome booking agency, High Road Touring, takes a commission for booking the tour.
How Much Money Does a Band Really Make on Tour?|Jack Conte|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Emergent procedures provide their benefit right away and have the awesome potential to rescue a patient from the brink of death.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Risky Heart Surgery|Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And they were so funny and awesome that I thought, “I want to do that.”
'So You Think You Can Dance' Winner Ricky Ubeda Is Adorable, and Tired|Kevin Fallon|September 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The Varsity Chiefs are awesome, and the engine for this devastating hardwood machine is point guard Buell Robinson.
Native American Basketball Team in Wyoming Have Hoop Dreams Of Their Own|Robert Silverman|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To-day, Thursday, we saw the School of the Prophets, a curious and awesome cavern in the side of the mountain.
Letters from the Holy Land|Elizabeth Butler
It was an awesome thing, but at the same time a wonderful one.
The Spell of the White Sturgeon|James Arthur Kjelgaard
Angered by his impotence, Beowulf raised his voice and shouted a furious defiance to the awesome guardian of the barrow.
Hero-Myths & Legends of the British Race|Maud Isabel Ebbutt
The great dining-room, with all the confusion of the first day of school, was an awesome place to country-bred Sarah.
When Sarah Went to School|Elsie Singmaster
He was now not merely, "friends wid de perlice;" he was held in fear by that awesome body!
The Honorable Peter Stirling and What People Thought of Him|Paul Leicester Ford

British Dictionary definitions for awesome

awesome

/ (ˈɔːsəm) /

adjective

inspiring or displaying awe

slang excellent or outstanding

Derived Formsawesomely, adverbawesomeness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for awesome

awesome

adj.

1590s, "profoundly reverential," from awe (n.) + -some (1). Meaning "inspiring awe" is from 1670s; weakened colloquial sense of "impressive, very good" is recorded by 1961 and was in vogue from after c.1980. Related: Awesomely; awesomeness.

awesome

adjective

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of awesome

Usage note

Examples from the Web for awesome

awesome

adjective

awesome