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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
Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
The American military is the best in the world, but deploying that awesome power and risking those lives should be the last resort of a president, not the go-to move.
—Storer H. Rowley, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
And does that just look like awesome, human movies about 30- and 40-somethings making terrible choices in their love lives?
—Jada Yuan, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
Electric or not, a near-1000-hp wagon that can play at rally is undeniably awesome.
—Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for awesome
Cite this Entry
“Awesome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/awesome. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
awesome
adjective
