What does awesome mean?
Awesome is an adjective describing something that inspires awe, wonder, or deep admiration. In its original, formal sense it applies to things whose scale, power, or grandeur overwhelms the observer — an awesome spectacle, an awesome responsibility. Since the late twentieth century, however, the word has become one of the most common terms of enthusiastic approval in informal English, particularly in North America, where it simply means 'excellent' or 'very good': an awesome game, an awesome performance. This shift has made awesome remarkably versatile but also somewhat diluted; critics note that calling a sandwich awesome stretches the word far from its origins. It derives from 'awe', meaning a blend of wonder, respect, and fear. Because it spans both reverent solemnity and casual enthusiasm, writers can use it deliberately — reserving it for genuinely striking subjects keeps its force intact.
Extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring awe or great admiration.
"The cathedral's awesome interior silenced the visitors."
This literal sense suits formal writing about grandeur, power, or gravity.
Informal: extremely good or excellent.
"That was an awesome concert!"
Dominant in contemporary informal speech, especially American English.
Awesome and awful once meant the same thing — 'inspiring dread or awe' — before English speakers split them into praise and insult.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of awesome
Awesome derives from 'awe', an Old Norse-rooted word (from 'agi', related to fear and dread) that entered English via Middle English as a mixture of terror and reverence. The suffix '-some' means 'characterized by', so awesome literally means 'characterized by awe'. It is first recorded in the late sixteenth century, when it described things that inspired dread or profound respect — the same original meaning as 'awful'. The two words diverged over time: awful drifted toward meaning terrible, while awesome shifted in twentieth-century slang to mean outstanding.
How awesome is actually used
In everyday modern speech, especially American English, 'awesome' is an enthusiastic general-purpose term of approval, common in informal registers. Its older, literal sense of 'inspiring awe or dread' survives mainly in formal or literary writing (e.g. 'an awesome responsibility'). Overuse has led some style commentators to consider it vague or clichéd.
Easily confused with awesome
Awful originally meant 'inspiring awe' but now means very bad or unpleasant, while awesome means extremely impressive or excellent — near-opposites despite their shared root.