awaken

[uh-wey-kuh n]

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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

awakening

[uh-wey-kuh-ning]

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.

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

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

Related Words for reawakening

rouse, rejuvenate, enliven, arouse, awaken, rekindle, restore, repair, strengthen, relieve, brighten, renovate, revitalize, rally, resuscitate, animate, recover, quicken, console, solace

Examples from the Web for reawakening

Contemporary Examples of reawakening

But there are signs that the grassroots operation is reawakening in a big way.
The Dems' Cash Cow
Benjamin Sarlin
April 2, 2010

Historical Examples of reawakening

But the new voice was stilled into nothingness by the shrill, reawakening falsetto.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser
According to this same theory the reawakening of an older impression is an ecphory.
Sex
Henry Stanton
Nor was the reawakening of the community by any means confined to the boys and girls.
The Duke of Stockbridge
Edward Bellamy
I have seen signs of the reawakening of greed, of selfishness.
Armageddon--2419 A.D.
Philip Francis Nowlan
Before this, however, there were symptoms of the reawakening of a dormant idea.
The Pictorial Press
Mason Jackson

British Dictionary definitions for reawakening

awakening

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 reawakening

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.