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Glite Dictionary
😮 Great wonder 😮 To amaze
to awe

to awe

24 4.1
To fill someone with a feeling of respect and wonder, sometimes with fear, often caused by something impressive or beautiful
  • verb
  • /ɔː/
translation icon : asombrar
  • We stare at one another in reverential confusion, awed by the spectacle that confronts us.

He was quite awed by Harvard and quite proud that his son should be a student here.

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Examples

  • And he was awed by everything fitting together so sensibly and he said, "How do you guys think of these things?"

    Future by Design (2006)

  • "Christ," said Miranda, and even she seemed awed at what they had accomplished.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Who is not awed by this?

    Killing Jesus (2015)

  • I was always awed by flight.

    In the Shadow of the Moon (2007)

  • Even then I was awed by her desire to make a difference.

    MegaFault (2009)

  • A commercial came on, and we lay there in a kind of awed silence.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • I think that comes from the knowledge that somebody somewhere loved them Now, I see that from time to time, and I am awed by it.

    The Mexican (2001)

  • To illustrate this point, consider the last time you were truly awed by some technology or experience.

    Academic text (2014)

  • Like all of us, he was awed by the peaks and summits of nature's greatest displays.

    Academic text (1996)

  • As we stood before the breathtaking waterfall, we were awed by its sheer power and beauty.

Synonyms

to amaze
vsto awe
294 1.0

To surprise someone very much

often adds respect or fear as part of the emotional effect
to astound
vsto awe
41 4.2

To surprise someone very much and make them feel amazed

leans more toward wonder that can include respect or fear
to wow
vsto awe
  • Informal
37 3.6

To make someone feel very surprised and pleased

is more neutral and can include deeper respect or fear
to take one's breath away
vsto awe
  • Informal
33 4.1

Make someone feel very surprised and unable to speak

tends to inspire wonder or respect without implying silence
to astonish
vsto awe
13 3.5

To surprise someone very much

is broader, covering wonder combined with respect or fear
to impress someone
vsto awe
3 2.6

To make someone admire or respect you

tends to add stronger wonder or fear beyond simple admiration
to leave in awe
vsto awe
1 4.4

To make someone feel very amazed and full of admiration

is broader, also including respect or fear as part of the feeling
to transfix
vsto awe
1 7.6

Cause someone to stand still because they feel amazed or scared

often causes wonder or respect but without forcing stillness

Phrasal Verbs

to watch in awe
2 3.6

To look at something with strong admiration and surprise

to leave in awe
1 4.4

To make someone feel very amazed and full of admiration

Compounds

awe-inspiring
16 5.6

Causes people to feel great respect and wonder because it is very impressive

shock and awe
  • Literature
4 6.3

A sudden, powerful action that surprises, frightens, and impresses people

How Impressive

to overwhelm
164 4.4
to stun
11 3.0
to awe
24 4.1
to astonish
13 3.5
to impress
457 2.8

Surface Forms

awe infinitive
aweing present participle
awe third person singular
awed past
awed past participle

Etymology

Awe comes from an old English word ege meaning 'terror' or 'fear'. To awe someone is to fill them with that mix of wonder and fear, and you can see the same idea in awesome, which once meant 'causing fear' and now often means 'very impressive'.