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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
Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 26 Sep. 2025
Just another example of how awesome Probst is at his job.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2025
And the Boys & Girls Club were awesome.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2025
But an awesome friend to everyone else.
—Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 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 30 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
awesome
adjective
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