awakening

American  

[uh-wey-kuh-ning] / əˈweɪ kə nɪŋ /

adjective

1. rousing; quickening.

   an awakening interest in ballet.

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noun

1. the act of awaking from sleep.

2. a revival of interest or attention.

3. a recognition, realization, or coming into awareness of something.

   a rude awakening to the disagreeable facts.

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

awakening British  

/ əˈweɪkənɪŋ, əˈweɪknɪŋ /

noun

1. the start of a feeling or awareness in a person

   a picture of an emotional awakening

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Other Word Forms

• awakeningly adverb
• reawakening noun
• unawakening adjective

Etymology

Origin of awakening

First recorded in 1585–95; awaken + -ing ², -ing ¹

Example Sentences

But to Dave Roberts, it led to a particularly profound personal awakening, helping one of the most successful managers in MLB history reconnect with familial roots in a way that goes far beyond baseball.

From Los Angeles Times

Why it’s vital: Unsettling but gorgeously realized, the series introduces a disquieting dread that encapsulates the fear of being closeted in a small community while acknowledging the bittersweet yearning that comes with an awakening youth.

From Salon

Generations follow fixed cycles roughly every 20 years, they claimed, and move through four stages of evolution: “the high,” “the awakening,” “the unraveling” and “the crisis.”

From Salon

Eiding’s portrayal hints at a man awakening to his own loneliness.

From Los Angeles Times

The opening is an awakening, with group vocalized rhythms, but that is something only a tabla player can really pull off.

From Los Angeles Times