awakening
- rousing; quickening: an awakening interest in ballet.
- 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.
Origin of awakening
awaken
- to awake; waken.
Origin of awaken
Examples from the Web for awakening
Contemporary Examples
It was a little bit like an awakening, and I just stuck with it.
Her screams attracted attention, awakening one man who lived on the seventh floor of a nine-story building across the street.
For some, it sped up a process of awakening that may have taken years.
“There has been an awakening,” a British defense official told The Daily Beast.
Shortly after his ninth birthday, Edwards experienced a “season of awakening.”
Historical Examples
He did not want to risk her awakening to a spoiled life and disappointed hopes.
Her Father's DaughterGene Stratton-Porter
With me this awakening came with my first glimpse of his eyes.
The UnderdogF. Hopkinson Smith
The giants upon the hillside were just awakening from their night's sleep.
Opera Stories from WagnerFlorence Akin
At dawn the Cyclops woke, and his awakening was like a thunderstorm.
Old Greek Folk Stories Told AnewJosephine Preston Peabody
The sun had come back, and all the awakening Northland world was calling to him.
White FangJack London
awakening
- the start of a feeling or awareness in a persona picture of an emotional awakening
Word Origin and History for awakening
awaken
v.
Old English awæcnan (intransitive), "to spring into being, arise, originate," also, less often, "to wake up;" earlier onwæcnan, from a- (1) "on" + wæcnan (see waken). Transitive meaning "to rouse from sleep" is recorded from 1510s; figurative sense of "to stir up, rouse to activity" is from c.1600.
Originally strong declension (past tense awoc, past participle awacen), already in Old English it was confused with awake (v.) and a weak past tense awæcnede (modern awakened) emerged and has since become the accepted form, with awoke and awoken transferred to awake. Subtle shades of distinction determine the use of awake or awaken in modern English. Related: Awakening.