Awe can be inspired by various subjects, including natural scenes, historical monuments, and personal events. It can affect all senses and is composed of wonder, awe, and respect. Other words and phrases that convey a similar meaning include breathtaking, wonderful, and awesome.
If something inspires awe, it inspires awe or similar moods such as wonder, admiration or deep appreciation. Various subjects, from situations and events to actual tangible objects, can inspire awe in people. Also, things that inspire awe can affect all of the senses, not just vision. Thus, a person may hear something awe-inspiring, such as a piece of music, or they may taste something awe-inspiring, such as a gourmet meal or a national delicacy with which they are unfamiliar. People commonly use a variety of different words and phrases that are synonymous with awe, such as magnificent, overwhelming, and awe-inspiring.
This idiom is one of those sayings which presents its meaning in its name. When something inspires awe, it inspires awe. The generally accepted definition of awe is the emotion composed of wonder, awe, and respect or reverence. Thus, when someone experiences something that inspires awe, he or she has experienced something that has inspired one or more of the various emotions and states of being that define awe. Of course, what inspires awe in one person may not inspire awe in another person.
Natural scenes often inspire awe in those who see them. For example, a person might describe a beautiful sunset or sunrise, an especially large full moon, or a quiet, snow-capped mountain as awe-inspiring. Other more permanent natural scenes, such as America’s Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls or Nepal’s Mount Everest, are also awe inspiring.
Historical monuments, mysteries and things we don’t fully understand often inspire wonder and amazement. For example, people might find Stonehenge and the pyramids of Egypt inspiring. The Colosseum in Rome and the Great Wall of China could inspire wonder.
Of course, scenes and events that are more personal to the viewer can also inspire awe. For example, experiencing the process of childbirth, seeing a baby take its first steps, and watching your child graduate from college can inspire awe in parents and other loved ones. Watching such a human or even an animal overcome a physical disability often inspires awe.
Numerous other words and idiomatic expressions convey the same or a similar meaning as to instill fear. Such words and sayings include breathtaking, wonderful, hair-raising, heartwarming, and mind-blowing. Perhaps the most commonly used and abused synonym is awesome. Technically, awesome is an adjective that describes something that inspires or is awe-worthy. Contemporary uses of the word, especially as slang or in informal speaking or writing, often pair it with anything the speaker or writer calls impressive, exciting, or “cool.”
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