ENGLISH
REFERENCE

awe

n.
US //ˈɑ// UK //ˈɔː// awe
  1. 1 wonder and respect (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a feeling of great respect and wonder, often because something is very beautiful, large, or powerful.

    a feeling of profound respect mixed with wonder, typically inspired by something majestic, sublime, or extremely powerful.

    Example

    We stood in awe as we looked up at the millions of stars in the night sky.

    Example

    The tourists gazed in silent awe at the ancient cathedral, overwhelmed by the scale of the architecture and the history it represented.
  2. 2 fearful respect (n.)
    C1 Advanced Literary

    a feeling of respect mixed with fear, usually toward someone with great power.

    a sense of solemn wonder or dread inspired by authority or divine power.

    Example

    The soldiers held their commander in awe and never questioned his orders.

    Example

    In many ancient texts, the gods are described as beings that inspire both love and a terrifying awe in their followers.
Etymology 1

From Middle English aw, awe, agh, awȝe, borrowed from Old Norse agi, from Proto-Germanic agaz (“terror, dread”), from Proto-Indo-European h₂egʰ- (“to be upset, afraid”). Displaced native Middle English eye, eyȝe, ayȝe, eȝȝe, from Old English ege, æge (“fear, terror, dread”), from the same Proto-Germanic root.

Etymology 2

From French auve.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

Last updated June 20, 2026