awesome
/ˈoːsəm/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.92 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Clipping of awesomeness (“the quality, state, or essence of being awesome”).
Slang; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "The waterfall in the middle of the rainforest was an awesome sight."
- "The tsunami was awesome in its destructive power."
- "And now it appeared that there was a mysterious Queen clothed by rumour with dread and wonderful attributes, and commonly known by the impersonal, but, to my mind, rather awesome title of She."
- "I think that the most fearsome attribute of these awesome creatures is their silence and the fact that one never sees them—nothing but those baleful eyes glaring unblinkingly out of the dark void behind."
- "Certainly it is awesome to think of a nation that brings its powers of persuasion against a woman's right to conceive."
- "“Congratulations, President Trump,” Netanyahu said in a video statement immediately following the U.S. attack. “Your bold decision to target Iran's nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history.”"
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.
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈoːsəm/
- British English: /ˈɔːsəm/
Usage
Inflected Forms
more awesome (comparative)
awesomer (comparative)
most awesome (superlative)
awesomest (superlative)
orsum (alternative, Australia)