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Synonyms

dawning

American  
[daw-ning] / ˈdɔ nɪŋ /

noun

  1. daybreak; dawn.

  2. beginning; start.

    the dawning of the space age.

Other Word Forms

  • undawning adjective

Etymology

Origin of dawning

Middle English; see dawn, -ing 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It’s dawning on both the equity and bond markets that this conflict isn’t looking like a fleeting affair, said Amar Reganti, fixed-income strategist at Hartford Funds.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026

The dawning of reality should be close at hand now for England players - 'maybe it's not you, Scotland, maybe it's us'.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026

Now, there’s a dawning realization that these tools can do far more.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

The slowly dawning realization that this heavily tattooed white man named Teddy Swims was really going to pull off “Without You.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 31, 2026

It was only just dawning on Harry how many witches and wizards there must be in the world; he had never really thought much about those in other countries.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.