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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
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2025
Coach Norvell’s been absolutely awesome.
—Matt Baker, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
There’s a couple that are really awesome.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 31 Oct. 2025
That would be absolutely awesome!
—MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 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 9 Nov. 2025.
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awesome
adjective
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