awestruck
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of awestruck
First recorded in 1625–35
Explanation
To be awestruck is to be full of complete wonder, amazement, or dread for something. Swimming with a humpback whale or being near a tornado would leave most people awestruck. When you're awestruck, you're amazed. Awestruck literally means to be struck with awe — a feeling of profound amazement. You can be awestruck by something surprising, wonderful, or even scary. Imagine the breathless feeling you’d get swimming next to a whale! That’s awestruck. This is a very powerful feeling that would never apply to everyday things. Being awestruck leaves you stunned. You can't quite believe what you're seeing or hearing.
Vocabulary lists containing awestruck
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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.
The fact that it came out following scores of delightful social media posts made by awestruck international visitors who crisscrossed the country to enjoy the World Cup doesn’t help.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
"If we found out there were aliens, I'd hope people were astonished, humbled and awestruck by it," she told the BBC.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
But even those high achievers might be awestruck by one of the race car drivers.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
One was the awestruck girl from the South discovering New York City for the first time, another was the hunky model, aspiring actor, and so on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
They could not have been more nervous and awestruck if the Archangel Gabriel himself had descended to earth.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
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.
