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rude awakening

British

noun

an occurrence of being made to face an unpleasant fact

"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

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.

Americans who thought spring break would offer rest and relaxation after a tough winter may be in for a rude awakening.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 9, 2026

It's a rude awakening in a moment fraught with grave risk.

From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026

But investors who are hoping they’ll benefit from a similar flight to safety next year could be in for a rude awakening.

From Barron's • Dec. 31, 2025

Ukraine underwent a similar rude awakening to the nature of global power politics after it surrendered its Soviet-era nuclear weapons in the 1990s.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual.

From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry

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