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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.”
Synonyms of awesome
Examples of awesome in a Sentence
Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 24 Nov. 2025
Want to capture some awesome astrophotography images, without breaking the bank?
—Chris McMullen, Space.com, 21 Nov. 2025
Murphy could, and should, have continued to work in the awesome medium that is stand-up — not every year, but at least once or twice more, going back to giving us the Eddie Murphy vision of the state of the world.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Nov. 2025
Being reunited with my brother is awesome.
—Adam Thompson, CBS News, 19 Nov. 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 27 Nov. 2025.
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awesome
adjective
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