overawe
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
These four verbs all describe making someone feel smaller or unwilling to act, but the source of the feeling differs. Overawe is the most formal and always carries the sense of awe — respect mixed with fear, often triggered by grandness or seriousness (a cathedral, a famous figure, a solemn occasion). Intimidate is the everyday word and leans more toward fear alone; a bully intimidates, a loud neighbour intimidates. Daunt usually attaches to a task or challenge rather than a person — 'the climb daunted him', 'a daunting workload'. Cow is the strongest and most physical, implying that someone has been beaten down into submission — 'the workers were cowed into silence by years of threats'. Use overawe when reverence is part of the picture; use intimidate when plain fear is enough.
Common collocations
Etymology
Formed in the 1570s by adding the prefix 'over-' (meaning 'completely' or 'beyond') to the older verb 'awe', which itself came from an Old Norse word meaning 'fear' or 'terror'. The original force was 'to subdue completely through awe', and that flavour of restraint through reverence has stayed with the word ever since.