c.1600, "profoundly reverential," from awe + -some. Meaning "inspiring awe" is from 1670s; weakened colloquial sense of "impressive, very good" is recorded by 1961 and was in vogue from after c.1980.
exclam. Great!; Excellent! (Usually Awesome! Standard English, but used often in slang.) : You own that gorgeous hog? Awesome!
mod. impressive. : That thing is so awesome!
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences
Travel around the world to check out some awesome avalanches.
The other grandparents are awesome though, and in constant contact despite also being far away.
Not that much-except that they are all awesome, they were all innovative, and they were all endlessly copied.
At five feet long, with a five-foot wing span, this has to be the most awesome mailbox on the block.
For centuries, the city's hulking official buildings served as reminders of the awesome power of the imperial state.
The sky around here is awesome at night.
This was truly free trade and it produced the most awesome industrial might in history.
It's awesome to come across a blog every once in a while that isn't the same out of date rehashed information.
But most will take one look at his awesome truck, his strong hands and his beefy physique, and see all the makings of a hero.
You'll get awesome views from the ridge, where you'll also find alpine wildflowers this month.