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Is the word awesome overused?
Many object to the use of awesome to describe something (such as a sandwich) that does not literally elicit feelings of awe. Yet the same people who insist that awesome should be used only of weighty subjects (Niagara Falls, man landing on the moon) will happily use the word awful in reference to something (such as a mess) that falls distinctly short of being “full of awe.” This weakened sense was once considered improper—in fact, complaints about it persisted through the early decades of the 20th century.
The change in meaning that awesome is undergoing may be more recent than that of awful, but both words are treading the same path. For evidence that such change is normal, we need look no further than awe, which originally meant “terror” and now carries the weaker sense “wonder.”
Examples of awesome in a Sentence
Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 30 Mar. 2025
He's gotten way better at talking on the mic during his match with CM Punk, and their matches have been awesome.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2025
Jack so far has been such an awesome add in the room.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2025
There’s typically little correlation between spring success and an awesome autumn, however.
—Evan Webeck, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for awesome
Cite this Entry
“Awesome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/awesome. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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awesome
adjective
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