Synonyms

overawe

American

[oh-ver-aw] / ˌoʊ vərˈɔ /

verb (used with object)

overawed, overawing

to restrain or subdue by inspiring awe; intimidate.

He often uses that imperious scowl to overawe his subordinates.

overawe British

/ ˌəʊvərˈɔː /

verb

(tr) to subdue, restrain, or overcome by affecting with a feeling of awe

"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

Etymology

Origin of overawe

First recorded in 1570–80; over- + awe

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.

Since conversion was thought to excuse conquest, these devotional artworks had to overawe their viewers.

From New York Times • Oct. 27, 2022

The West is more immediate and can still overawe the spectator with substantial remnants of its old annihilating grandeur.

From Washington Post • Mar. 9, 2017

Hoping to overawe the people of the land, Lewis would let out a blast of his air rifle, a relatively new piece of technology the Native Americans had never seen.

From Textbooks • Dec. 30, 2014

They have not quite matched the show sometimes given by workers at the Venetian arsenal, who would assemble a galley in a single day in order to overawe visiting foreign dignitaries.

From Economist • May 16, 2013

Jonathan’s impetuosity, and the manifest singleness of his purpose, seemed to overawe those in front of him; instinctively they cowered, aside and let him pass.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023