awe
[ aw ]
/ ɔ /
noun
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.
Archaic. power to inspire fear or reverence.
Obsolete. fear or dread.
verb (used with object), awed, aw·ing.
to inspire with awe.
to influence or restrain by awe.
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Origin of awe
1250–1300; Middle English aghe, awe < Scandinavian; compare Old Norse agi fear, cognate with Gothic agis, Old English ege, Greek áchos pain
SYNONYMS FOR awe
OTHER WORDS FROM awe
out·awe, verb (used with object), out·awed, out·aw·ing.Words nearby awe
away, away goal, away-going crop, awayday, awb, awe, awe-inspiring, awe-struck, aweary, aweather, awed
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for awing
British Dictionary definitions for awing
awe
/ (ɔː) /
noun
overwhelming wonder, admiration, respect, or dread
archaic power to inspire fear or reverence
verb
(tr) to inspire with reverence or dread
Derived forms of awe
aweless or US awless, adjectiveWord Origin for awe
C13: from Old Norse agi; related to Gothic agis fear, Greek akhesthai to be grieved
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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