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.
"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
“Are you sure she’s your ma?” one of her teenage son’s awestruck friends asks while gazing up at her.
From Salon • Feb. 4, 2026
Mr. Foster was initially awestruck, but he soon found himself daydreaming and thinking about what to eat for lunch.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 30, 2025
Every hike in Angeles National Forest offers us a chance to be awestruck by our natural environment.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2025
There were other times when I’d be awestruck by the white magnolias blooming outside, the everyday bustle of government business, the majesty of a military welcome.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
