Awe is an emotion comparable to wonder but less joyous, and more fearful or respectful. A person may feel wonder or joy while seeing a large rainbow, but typically a person does not feel in awe of a rainbow. In general awe is directed at objects considered to be more powerful than the subject, such as the breaking of huge waves on the base of a rocky cliff, or the thundering roar of a massive waterfall. The Great Pyramid of Giza, the Grand Canyons, or the vastness of open space in the cosmos are all places or concepts which would typically inspire awe. Awe is defined in Robert Plutchik's Wheel of emotions as a combination of surprise and fear.

See also

• A Philosophical Inquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful, Part II, Section V.

Notes and references

1. http://faculty.virginia.edu/haidtlab/articles/keltner.approaching-awe.pdf
2. Cf. Edmund Burke "And it may be observed, that young persons, little acquainted with the world, and who have not been used to approach men in power, are commonly struck with an awe which takes away the free use of their faculties." A Philosophical Inquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful, Part II, Section V.