Awe is an emotion comparable to wonder but less joyous, and more fearful or respectful. Awe is defined in Robert Plutchik's Wheel of emotions as a combination of surprise and fear. One dictionary definition is "an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like: in awe of God; in awe of great political figures". Another dictionary definition is a "mixed emotion of reverence, respect, dread, and wonder inspired by authority, genius, great beauty, sublimity, or might: We felt awe when contemplating the works of Bach. The observers were in awe of the destructive power of the new weapon."

In general awe is directed at objects considered to be more powerful than the subject, such as the breaking of huge waves on the base of a rocky cliff, the thundering roar of a massive waterfall. The Great Pyramid of Giza, the Grand Canyon, or the vastness of open space in the cosmos are all places or concepts which would typically inspire awe.

Psychologists have noted that awe can inspire. When asked to describe themselves while viewing an awe-inspiring sight (such as a dinosaur skeleton), test subjects were more likely to describe themselves in oceanic terms (e.g. "I am an inhabitant of the planet Earth") as opposed to more specific terms (e.g. "I have blonde hair"). Awe can have a powerful effect; the 18th century Irish philosopher Edmund Burke notes that "it may be observed, that young persons, little acquainted with the world, and who have not been used to approach men in power, are commonly struck with an awe which takes away the free use of their faculties."

In Awe: The Delights and Dangers of Our Eleventh Emotion,“neuropsychologist and positive psychology guru Pearsall ...presents ...a phenomenological study of awe. Defining awe as an "overwhelming and bewildering sense of connection with a startling universe that is usually far beyond the narrow band of our consciousness," Pearsall ...sees awe as the 11th emotion, beyond those now scientifically accepted (i.e., love, fear, sadness, embarrassment, curiosity, pride, enjoyment, despair, guilt, and anger).”.

Noun

awe (uncountable)

1. A feeling of fear and reverence.
2. A feeling of amazement.
   • 1918, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Land That Time Forgot Chapter IV

     For several minutes no one spoke; I think they must each have been as overcome by awe as was I. All about us was a flora and fauna as strange and wonderful to us as might have been those upon a distant planet had we suddenly been miraculously transported through ether to an unknown world.

Derived terms terms derived from awe (noun)

• awe-inspiring
• awesome

• awestruck
• awful

Matching Results for Awe:

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Quotes of the day from previous years: 2004 To know someone here or there with whom you can feel there is understanding in spite of distances or thoughts expressed.

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