AWESOME (adjective)
1. Expressive of awe.
2. a) inspiring awe, b) better than usual.
Example from recent news: This Week’s Awesome Tech Stories from Around the Web– SingularityHub
I guess if you are really into technology, these tech stories might inspire awe from you.
Other synonyms for awesome:
amazing, astonishing, awful, eye-opening, fabulous, marvelous, staggering, stunning
I think everyone is familiar with the word awesome. In fact, it’s overfamiliarity made me decide to pick this word for the week. I don’t think people really mean awesome when they use the word “awesome.” I don’t think that, when I tell my friend I can babysit for her, she is really in awe of me when she says “Awesome!” I doubt that, when I tell my Bible study leader, I received her email and she responds, “Awesome!”, that she literally dropped her jaw full of awe and wonder.
On the other hand, when I tell my kids I bought corn dogs for lunch, and they shout out, “Awesome!” they probably ARE full of awe and wonder that Mom caved in and bought some delicious junk food for lunch.
I don’t blame people for using the word “awesome” as a casual response. It is a slang expression made popular in the last couple generations. We all do this with many different words: cool, sweet, what’s up?”.
Although maybe it is no longer popular…what do I know, I am a millennial, which is now considered old (eye roll and sigh).
But really, I hear it all the time so it’s not completely dead. Anyway, the point is, with it being used so often for anything and everything, it loses meaning.
Sooo, I thought it might be worthwhile to think of substitute words to use instead of awesome, such as:
Great!
Wonderful!
Perfect.
Fantastic!
Thank you!
That’s interesting.
Nice.
Good.
Beautiful.
Gorgeous!
*Definitions are taken from Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary. Not every part of the definition is given in this blog, only the major themes.
**Synonyms taken from the Merriam Webster online Thesaurus.
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