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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