Overawe

Pronunciation: /oʊvərˈɔ/

Definitions of overawe

verb to impress or restrain by inspiring fear or awe

Example Sentences

A1 The teacher's stern look seemed to overawe the misbehaving student.

A2 The grandeur of the cathedral overawed the tourists as they entered.

B1 The powerful speech by the politician overawed the audience and left them speechless.

B2 The sheer size of the mountain range overawed even the experienced hikers.

C1 The presence of the legendary actor overawed the young performers in the play.

C2 The intricate details of the painting overawed art critics and collectors alike.

Examples of overawe in a Sentence

formal The speaker's powerful presence seemed to overawe the audience.

informal Her confidence and charisma really overawed everyone in the room.

slang The way he strutted in like he owned the place totally overawed me.

figurative The grandeur of the mountains never fails to overawe me with its beauty.

Grammatical Forms of overawe

• past tense: overawed
• plural: overawe
• comparative: more overawing
• superlative: most overawing
• present tense: overawes
• future tense: will overawe
• perfect tense: have overawed
• continuous tense: is overawing
• singular: overawes
• positive degree: overawe
• infinitive: to overawe
• gerund: overawing
• participle: overawed

Origin and Evolution of overawe

First Known Use: 1400 year

Language of Origin: Middle English

Story behind the word: The word 'overawe' originated from Middle English, derived from the combination of 'over' and 'awe'.

Evolution of the word: Originally used to mean to subdue or restrain by inspiring fear or awe, the word 'overawe' has evolved to also encompass the idea of impressing or influencing someone by one's presence or demeanor.