Awe, Awesome & Awful: The Curious Evolution of a Feeling

Language is a funny thing. It evolves, shifts, and sometimes pulls linguistic pranks on us. Take the word awe, for instance. In The Shift Code I encourage people to experience awe every day—those moments of wonder that make us stop in our tracks, eyes wide, hearts full. Whether it’s the iridescent flutter of a hummingbird, the vast stretch of a sunset, or a life-altering moment of clarity, awe encompasses the full spectrum of human amazement. But here’s where it gets interesting: why did awe give birth to awesome (which we love) and awful (which, let’s be honest, we don’t love)? 

It all starts with the root meaning of awe, which originally carried a weight much heavier than simple wonder. The word traces back to Old English ege and Norse agi, both meaning “fear” or “terror.” This wasn’t just admiration—it was a bone-deep reverence that made people feel small in the presence of something vast, powerful, and beyond their control. Think about how people in ancient times viewed storms, towering mountains, or divine encounters. Awe was not just pretty—it was overwhelming, a little bit scary, and often tied to a sense of the sacred. 

By the late Middle Ages, awe had morphed into a word that could describe both reverence and dread. Enter awful—which originally meant “full of awe.” If something was awful, it was overwhelming in a grand, almost spiritual way. A cathedral could be awful. The power of nature could be awful. But somewhere along the way, people started using awful more to describe experiences that were overwhelmingly negative. A plague? Awful. A disastrous battle? Awful. Eventually, the positive, reverential side of the word faded, and awful became synonymous with things we’d rather avoid. 

Meanwhile, awesome took a different path. Originally, it too meant “full of awe,” but over time, it retained its positive side. By the 20th century, especially in American slang, awesome had become the go-to word for anything impressive, thrilling, or just plain cool. The Grand Canyon? Awesome. A killer guitar solo? Awesome. Free guacamole at a restaurant? Extra awesome!

It’s a fascinating shift. The same root word split into two opposing directions: one leading to magnificence (awesome), the other to distress (awful). And yet, at their core, both words stem from the same truth: awe is powerful. It has the ability to shake us, shape us, and make us feel deeply—whether in joy, reverence, or even fear. 

Maybe the lesson here is that awe itself isn’t strictly good or bad. It’s raw, unfiltered, and depends on how we interpret it. So, let’s reclaim awe in all its fullness. I encourage you to find the awe-inspiring in the everyday, embrace the wonder of existence, and let the awesome outweigh the awful. Because in the end, life is meant to be lived with wide eyes and an open heart—awestruck and alive.