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rude awakening

British

noun

an occurrence of being made to face an unpleasant fact

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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rude awakening

“Steve is in for a very rude awakening, and the fact that he can’t see it coming just shows how little he understands the job he’s asking for.“

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

If the Tisza majority expects Baka to be a tame president, they may get a rude awakening.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

It was a rude awakening for three-time winners Inter, whose stature and budget dwarf that of the Norwegians and who are heavy favourites to win Serie A this season.

From Barron's ● Feb. 24, 2026

Ukraine underwent a similar rude awakening to the nature of global power politics after it surrendered its Soviet-era nuclear weapons in the 1990s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025

They’re going to have a rude awakening anyway because they’re headed next door to Mrs. Franklin’s house, and she doesn’t like when people come by unannounced.

From "Hello, Universe" by Erin Entrada Kelly

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023