awakening

[ uh-wey-kuh-ning ]

/ əˈweɪ kə nɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR awakening ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

rousing; quickening: an awakening interest in ballet.

noun

the act of awaking from sleep.

a revival of interest or attention.

a recognition, realization, or coming into awareness of something: a rude awakening to the disagreeable facts.

a renewal of interest in religion, especially in a community; a revival.

Nearby words

awacs, await, awaji, awake, awaken, awakening, award, award wage, awardee, aware, awareness

Origin of awakening

First recorded in 1585–95; awaken + -ing², -ing¹

Related forms

a·wak·en·ing·ly, adverbre·a·wak·en·ing, nounun·a·wak·en·ing, adjective

Definition for awakening (2 of 2)

awaken

[ uh-wey-kuh n ]

/ əˈweɪ kən /

verb (used with or without object)

to awake; waken.

Origin of awaken

before 900; Middle English awak(e)nen, Old English awæcnian earlier onwæcnian. See a-¹, waken

Related forms

a·wak·en·a·ble, adjectivea·wak·en·er, nounre·a·wak·en, verbwell-a·wak·ened, adjective

Examples from the Web for awakening

It was a little bit like an awakening, and I just stuck with it.
Ron Perlman's Secret Suicide Attempt|William O’Connor|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Her screams attracted attention, awakening one man who lived on the seventh floor of a nine-story building across the street.
The Myth of the Central Park Five|Edward Conlon|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For some, it sped up a process of awakening that may have taken years.
Psychedelics Are Ready for a Comeback|Abby Haglage|September 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“There has been an awakening,” a British defense official told The Daily Beast.
Did Vladimir Putin Just Save NATO?|Nico Hines|September 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Shortly after his ninth birthday, Edwards experienced a “season of awakening.”
The Hellish Sermons of Jonathan Edwards, Malign Evangelist|Matthew Paul Turner|August 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That harsh call to return rang in their hearts by day and by night, awakening home-sickness and desire.
The Outrage|Annie Vivanti
On their awakening, however, a very disagreeable surprise awaited them.
The Indian Scout|Gustave Aimard
When he was eighteen years of age, an awakening occurred among the young people of his neighborhood.
Sermons of Christmas Evans|Joseph Cross
So I welcome, rather than fear, the over-susceptibility of the awakening senses to external sights and sounds.
A Strange Story, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Awakening at dawn to find a cloudless sky, I crawled out, pushed off, and was in Glendive before six o'clock.
Down the Yellowstone|Lewis R. Freeman

British Dictionary definitions for awakening

awakening

/ (əˈweɪkənɪŋ, əˈweɪknɪŋ) /

noun

the start of a feeling or awareness in a persona picture of an emotional awakening

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