awesome

== English == === Alternative forms === orsum (Australia, New Zealand, slang) === Etymology === From awe +‎ -some; compare earlier awful and Middle English eiful (“inducing fright or terror, terrible”), from Old English eġeful (“fearful; inspiring awe”). The oldest meaning of awesome is of “something which inspires awe”, but the word is now also a common colloquial expression. It was originally so used in the United States, where it had featured strikingly in the 1970 film Tora! Tora! Tora!, as used by Japan's Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto to describe the "awesome" industrial potential of the United States. Consequently, as the word popularly became an expression for anything superb, in its original meaning it has tended to be replaced by the related word, awe-inspiring. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈɔː.səm/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈɔ.səm/ (cot–caught merger) IPA(key): /ˈɑ.səm/ Hyphenation: awe‧some === Adjective === awesome (comparative more awesome or awesomer, superlative most awesome or awesomest) Causing awe or terror; inspiring wonder or excitement. [from 1590–1600.] Synonyms: awe-inspiring; see also Thesaurus:awesome Antonym: aweless (colloquial, Canada, US, Australia) Excellent, exciting, remarkable. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:excellent ==== Usage notes ==== The comparative and superlative forms awesomer and awesomest are generally regarded as nonstandard. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== awe-inspiring awful ==== Translations ==== === Noun === awesome (uncountable) (uncountable, slang) Clipping of awesomeness (“the quality, state, or essence of being awesome”). Synonym: (slang) awesome sauce Antonyms: (slang) fail, (vulgar) shit, (slang) weaksauce (countable, informal) A person who is awesome. === Further reading === awesome (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia “awesome adj.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present