awesome

adjective

awe·some ˈȯ-səm

Synonyms of awesome next

: inspiring awe

an awesome task/responsibility

a place of awesome beauty

informal : terrific, extraordinary

had an awesome time at the concert

: expressive of awe

awesome tribute

Did you know?

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

the awesome sight of an erupting volcano It was an awesome responsibility. We had an awesome task ahead of us. We had an awesome time at the concert. You did an awesome job on that project. The movie was totally awesome.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

More than most years, 2024’s Top 25 makes for an awesome, odd and awesomely odd playlist. —

Jem Aswad, Variety, 6 Dec. 2024 More Ways to Save at Groupon This Holiday Season Groupon also offers awesome seasonal sales, with special offers for nearly every holiday. —

Molly Higgins, WIRED, 4 Dec. 2024 My family was awesome throughout my cancer journey. —

Samira Asma-Sadeque, People.com, 3 Dec. 2024 The awesome parts—expelling a new person out of my own body, say—were, quite literally, inconceivable. —

Alice Gregory, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for awesome