Awe
What it means
A feeling of wonder joined with deep respect before something vast or extraordinary.
Reach for it when describing admiration intense enough to humble the observer
The vast night sky filled the campers with awe.
Words to choose between 6
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| warm |
|
| formal | |
| literary |
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everyday
Fits when great surprise dominates the reaction
Careful Amazement can follow a trivial trick and need not include respect.
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warm
Fits when positive regard for excellence should stay measured
Careful Admiration is less overwhelming and often evaluates a person or achievement.
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warm
Fits when curiosity and delighted amazement are uppermost
Careful Wonder can be playful and lacks awe's humbling respect.
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formal
astonishment
Fits when the event radically exceeds expectation
Careful Astonishment can be negative and contains no necessary appreciation.
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formal
Fits when deep respect, often sacred, is the main response
Careful Reverence may be calm and familiar without astonishment.
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literary
Fits when a sustained state of delighted wonder suits lyrical prose
Careful Wonderment sounds fanciful and can weaken a solemn experience.
Opposites 3
- contempt
- indifference
- disenchantment
Common phrases 3
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sense of awe
The vaulted chamber creates a sense of awe without ornament.
-
filled with awe
The children were filled with awe beneath the observatory dome.
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in awe of
The apprentice remained in awe of the carpenter's quiet precision.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated