awesome

(ô'səm)
adj.

1. Inspiring awe: an awesome thunderstorm.
2. Expressing awe: stood in awesome silence before the ancient ruins.
3. Slang. Remarkable; outstanding: "a totally awesome arcade game" (Los Angeles Times).

awesomely awe'some·ly adv.
awesomeness awe'some·ness n.

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has followed the route of awful, and other words like fantastic, dreadful, tremendous, etc., in acquiring, especially in American English, a favourable meaning 'very good or impressive', and this meaning has spread into British English alongside its traditional meaning 'inspiring awe'. Examples:

The roadside drinkers stare open-mouthed at the sight of the awesome Ford GT40—Today, 1992

If the English performances in Paris and Edinburgh had been executed by New Zealand they would be proclaimed as awesome and unstoppable—Rugby World and Post, 1992.

In youth slang awesome has a generalized favourable sense (like cool and wicked):

Reading week was awesome: instead of doing any work I went on holidays—weblog, 2004 [Old English (up to 1150)C].

Previous:	aware, awake, awaken, wake, waken, await, wait
Next:	awful, awhile, a while, axe

adjective

Far beyond what is usual, normal, or customary: exceptional, extraordinary, magnificent, outstanding, preeminent, rare, remarkable, singular, towering, uncommon, unusual. Informal standout. Slang out of sight. See better/worse, usual/unusual.

adj

Definition: amazing
Antonyms: unamazing

1. exclam. Great!; Excellent! (Usually Awesome! Standard English, but used often in slang.)  You own that gorgeous hog? Awesome!
2. mod. impressive.  That thing is so awesome!

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IN BRIEF: Causing wonder and fear.

The mountain vista was awesome.

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adjective
adjective, mainly N Amer

Wonderful, great. (1980 —) .
Making Music I just know it'd be an awesome band (1986). So awesomely, adverb mainly N Amer Used as an intensifier. (1977 —) .

[Trivialization of earlier sense 'staggering, remarkable, prodigious'.]

Previous:	auntie, auction, au reservoir
Next:	awful, axe, axeman

For a list of words related to awesome, see:

• Wise, Mature, or Experienced

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See words rhyming with "awesome."

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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - ærefrygtindgydende, imponerende

Nederlands (Dutch)
ontzagwekkend, beangstigend, te gek

Français (French)
adj. - imposant, impressionnant, terrifiant

Deutsch (German)
adj. - ehrfurchtgebietend, überwältigend

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - αποτρόπαιος, τρομακτικός, (μτφ.) τρομερός, καταπληκτικός

Italiano (Italian)
spaventoso, imponente

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - temeroso

Русский (Russian)
внушающий страх, благоговение

Español (Spanish)
adj. - impresionante

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - hemsk, väldig

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
引起敬畏的, 可怕的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 引起敬畏的, 可怕的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 두려운, 위엄 있는

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 恐ろしい, 畏敬の念を表す

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) مرعب, يسبب الرعب والرهبه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮מפחיד, נורא‬

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