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

Origin of awakening

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

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

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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

Word Origin and History for awakening

awaken

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.

awakening

adjective

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of awakening

awaken

verb (used with or without object)

Origin of awaken

Examples from the Web for awakening

awakening

noun

awaken