awesome

English Online Dictionary. What means awesome‎? What does awesome mean?

English

Etymology

From awe +‎ -some; compare earlier awful and Middle English eiful (“inducing fright or terror, terrible”), from Old English eġeful (“fearful; inspiring awe”).

The oldest meaning of awesome is of “something which inspires awe”, but the word is now also a common colloquial expression. It was originally so used in the United States, where it had featured strikingly in the 1970 film Tora! Tora! Tora!, as used by Japan's Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto to describe the "awesome" industrial potential of the United States. Consequently, as the word popularly became an expression for anything superb, in its original meaning it has tended to be replaced by the related word, awe-inspiring.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɔː.səm/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɔ.səm/
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈɑ.səm/

Adjective

awesome (comparative more awesome or awesomer, superlative most awesome or awesomest)

1. Causing awe or terror; inspiring wonder or excitement. [from 1590–1600.]

   Synonyms: awe-inspiring; see also Thesaurus:awesome

   Antonym: aweless
2. (colloquial, Canada, US, Australia) Excellent, exciting, remarkable.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:excellent

Usage notes

The comparative and superlative forms awesomer and awesomest are generally regarded as nonstandard.

Derived terms

Related terms

• awe-inspiring
• awful

Translations

Noun

awesome (uncountable)

1. (uncountable, slang) Clipping of awesomeness (“the quality, state, or essence of being awesome”).

   Synonym: (slang) awesome sauce

   Antonyms: (slang) fail, (vulgar) shit, (slang) weaksauce
2. (countable, informal) A person who is awesome.

Further reading

• awesome (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “awesome adj.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present