awe

Meaning

Noun

1. (uncountable, usually) A feeling of fear and reverence.
2. (uncountable, usually) A feeling of amazement.
3. (archaic, uncountable, usually) Power to inspire awe.

Verb

1. (transitive) To inspire fear and reverence in.
2. (transitive) To control by inspiring dread.

Synonyms

fear

😨

reverence

dread

respect

veneration

fear of God

terror

fright

amazement

homage

astound

cow

🐮

deference

dismay

dumbfound

force

frighten

menace

power

prestige

rapture

regard

scare

😨

strength

stupefaction

stupor

terrify

threaten

wonder

worshipfulness

inspire awe in

reverential fear

admiration

strike fear

affright

alarm

amaze

arouse

astonishment

awesomeness

browbeat

bulldoze

bully

consternation

Translations

Ehrfurcht

δέος

crainte

😨

peur

😨

temor

😨

huşu

vénération

Furcht

😨

timore

😨

temor

😨

ontzag

φόβος

τρόμος

respect

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɔː/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: aw

Cognate with Middle English: eye

Cognate with Old English: ege

In summary

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.