Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense awes, past tense, past participle awed
1. uncountable noun
Awe is the feeling of respect and amazement that you have when you are faced with something wonderful and often rather frightening.
She gazed in awe at the great stones.
His fellow officers regarded him with awe as some sort of genius.
She filled me with a sense of awe.
Synonyms: wonder, fear, respect, reverence More Synonyms of awe
2. verb [usually passive, no cont]
If you are awedby someone or something, they make you feel respectful and amazed, though often rather frightened.
I am still awed by David's courage. [beVERB-ed]
The crowd listened in awed silence. [VERB-ed]
Synonyms: impress, amaze, stun, frighten More Synonyms of awe
3.
See be in awe of/stand in awe of
awe in British English
(ɔː)
noun
1.
overwhelming wonder, admiration, respect, or dread
2. archaic
power to inspire fear or reverence
verb
3. (transitive)
to inspire with reverence or dread
Derived forms
aweless (ˈaweless) or US awless (ˈawless)
adjective
Word origin
C13: from Old Norse agi; related to Gothic agis fear, Greek akhesthai to be grieved
awe in American English
(ɔ)
noun
1.
a mixed feeling of reverence, fear, and wonder, caused by something majestic, sublime, sacred, etc.
2. Archaic
the power of inspiring intense fear or fearful reverence
3. Obsolete
dread
verb transitiveWord forms: awed or ˌawing
4.
to inspire awe in; fill with awe
Idioms:
stand in awe of
SYNONYMY NOTE: awe refers to a feeling of fearful or profound respect or wonder inspired by the greatness,superiority, grandeur, etc. of a person or thing and suggests an immobilizing effect;, reverence is applied to a feeling of deep respect mingled with love for something one holdssacred or inviolable and suggests a display of homage, deference, etc.; , veneration implies worshipful reverence for a person or thing regarded as hallowed or sacredand specifically suggests acts of religious devotion; , dread, as it comes into comparison here, suggests extreme fear mixed with awe or reverence[a dread of divine retribution]
Word origin
ME age, aghe, awe < ON agi < IE base *agh-, to be depressed, afraid > OE ege, Goth agis, Gr achos
Examples of 'awe' in a sentence
awe
The act is expertly crafted to take spectators on a rollercoaster ride of fear and awe.
Smithsonian Mag (2017)
I was probably in shock or awe of him.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
We could not help feeling a certain mixture of awe and admiration.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
But you still feel awed by the enormity of what is going on here.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
This goal leaves me laughing and gawping with amazement and awe.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
They are less about winning hearts and minds than inflicting shock and awe.
The Times Literary Supplement (2013)
You are supposed to share his sense of awe.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
They lived in awe and fear of the man at the same time.
The Sun (2013)
Yet they evoked awe and wonder and many were canonized.
Bain, Roly Fools Rush In - A Call to Christian Clowning (1993)
We all approached the remix with respect and awe.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
What was more surprising was the awe she inspired in her political rivals.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
But we must not have too much admiration and awe.
The Sun (2007)
Buildings designed to shock and awe fail as places of human occupation and business.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The heat and the smell filled me with a strange sense of awe and wonder.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
But how far should we be swayed by this envy or the awe we feel for their feats on the pitch?
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
He wanted us to gaze up at his Sistine ceiling and be awed by the power of divinity.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Reading the stories of political dissidents, it is impossible not to be awed by their courage and their inner strength.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
I watched in awe at his courage as he completed six steps, which left him exhausted.
The Sun (2009)
Its bearer stood waiting in respectful awe as Lady Maria uncovered its face.
Frances Hodgson Burnett Emily Fox-Seton (1901)
The five claimed the recordings were only made to 'shock and awe' people.
The Sun (2008)
And he adds: 'The crowd were in awe.
The Sun (2012)
He is said to be 'in awe' of her.
The Sun (2016)
Word lists with
awe
lake
In other languages
awe
British English: awe NOUN
Awe is the feeling of respect and amazement that you have when you are faced with something wonderful and often rather frightening.
She gazed in awe at the great stones.
American English: awe
Brazilian Portuguese: admiração
Chinese: 敬畏
European Spanish: respeto
French: admiration muette
German: Ehrfurcht
Italian: soggezione
Japanese: 畏れ
Korean: 경외
European Portuguese: admiração
Latin American Spanish: fascinación
British English: awe VERB
If you are awed by someone or something, they make you feel respectful and amazed, though often rather frightened.
I am still awed by his courage.
American English: awe
Brazilian Portuguese: espantar-se
Chinese: 敬畏
European Spanish: sobrecogerse
French: impressionner
German: überwältigen
Italian: incutere soggezione a
Japanese: 畏敬の念を起こさせる
Korean: 온통 경외심을 갖게 하다
European Portuguese: espantar-se
Latin American Spanish: sobrecogerse
All related terms of 'awe'
awe-struck
filled with awe
awe-inspiring
If you describe someone or something as awe-inspiring , you are emphasizing that you think that they are remarkable and amazing, although sometimes rather frightening .
Days of Awe
the festivals of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the period of repentance in the first ten days of the Jewish new year
shock and awe
the strategy of using overwhelming force at the outset of a conflict in order to break the enemy's will to resist
stand in awe of
to respect and fear
awestruck
If someone is awestruck , they are very impressed and amazed by something.
be in awe of/stand in awe of
If you are in awe of someone or if you stand in awe of them, you have a lot of respect for them and are slightly afraid of them.
Chinese translation of 'awe'
awe
(ɔː)
n(u)
(= respect) 敬畏 (jìngwèi)
vt
to be awed by sth/sb对(對)某事/某人肃(肅)然起敬 (duì mǒushì/mǒurén sùrán qǐjìng)
to be in awe of or awed by sb/sth敬畏某人/某事 (jìngwèi mǒurén/mǒushì)
(noun)
Definition
wonder and respect mixed with dread
She gazed in awe at the great stones.
Synonyms
wonder
‘How did you know that?’ Bobby exclaimed in wonder.
fear
There is no fear of God before their eyes.
respect
I have tremendous respect for him.
reverence
in mutual support and reverence for the dead
horror
I felt numb with horror.
terror
I shook with terror whenever I flew in an aeroplane.
dread
She thought with dread of the cold winters to come.
admiration
Her eyes widened with admiration.
amazement
I stared at her in amazement.
astonishment
`What?' she asked in astonishment.
veneration
Churchill was held in veneration in his lifetime.
Opposites
contempt
,
arrogance
,
scorn
,
disrespect
,
boldness
,
irreverence
,
fearlessness
(verb)
Definition
to inspire with reverence or dread
I am still awed by his courage.
Synonyms
impress
What impressed him most was their speed.
amaze
He amazed us with his knowledge of local history.
stun
Many cinema-goers were stunned by the film's violent and tragic end.
frighten
Most children are frightened by the sight of blood.
terrify
The thought of a slow, painful death terrified me.
cow
They were not cowed by physical intimidation.
astonish
Her dedication astonishes me.
horrify
a crime trend that will horrify the community
intimidate
Attempts to intimidate people into voting for them failed.