What does awe mean?
Awe is a complex emotion blending wonder, reverence, and a touch of fear, typically aroused by something overwhelmingly vast, beautiful, or powerful — a starry sky, a towering cathedral, a great work of art. As a noun it names this feeling; as a verb it describes inspiring it in others, as in "the performance awed the audience." The word most often appears in the fixed phrase "in awe of," meaning deeply impressed by someone or something. Historically, awe carried stronger overtones of dread and submission before authority or divinity, and that gravity still colors its modern use: to feel awe is not merely to be pleased but to be humbled. Its derivatives tell an interesting story — "awesome" has become casual praise for anything impressive, while "awful" has drifted to mean simply bad, even though both once meant "inspiring awe." Awe is a useful word precisely because it captures an emotion that ordinary terms like "like" or "enjoy" cannot.
A feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder, especially in the presence of something vast, sublime, or powerful.
"The child watched the eclipse in open-mouthed awe."
Most commonly found in the phrases "in awe of," "struck with awe," and "filled with awe."
To inspire in someone a feeling of reverential wonder or respectful fear.
"The cathedral's soaring spires awed every visitor who entered."
Usually used passively ("was awed") or in the participial form; simple active use is relatively rare.
Rarely pluralized in practice; "awe" is almost always treated as an uncountable mass noun referring to the emotion itself.
"Different landscapes evoke different awes in different travelers."
"Awesome" and "awful" were once near-synonyms — both meant "full of awe" — before English split them into praise and insult.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of awe
Awe comes from the Old Norse "agi" (fear, terror), which entered northern Middle English around the thirteenth century as "aghe" and gradually displaced the native Old English "ege." It is related to Old Norse-derived words expressing dread and reverence, and it gave rise to the compound "aweful," later shortened to "awful," meaning "inspiring awe." Over time the emotion's fearful edge softened into the predominantly wonder-and-reverence sense used today. Cognates appear across the Germanic languages in words denoting fear or dread.
Related word forms
How awe is actually used
Awe carries a formal to neutral register and is strongly positive-leaning in modern usage, though it retains a trace of its older sense of fear. It is frequently intensified in the phrase "in awe of." The verb form is less common than the noun and typically appears as "awed" or "in awe of" rather than bare active use.
Easily confused with awe
"Aww" is an exclamation of sympathy or affection, while "awe" is a noun or verb describing profound wonder or reverence.
"Awful" originally meant "inspiring awe" but now almost universally means very bad or unpleasant.