If you are awed by someone or something, you feel great respect and liking, and often a little fear or shyness as well. The word is the past form of the verb awe, used as an adjective: “an awed silence,” “awed by her skill.” It is quieter than “terrified” and more serious than “impressed.” Though actually, the fear in it is usually gentle — the kind you feel in front of a great musician or a vast night sky, not the kind that makes you run. Younger speakers may skip it and say “amazed” or “blown away,” which lose that mix of respect and smallness.