awakening

[ uh-wey-kuh-ning ]

adjective

1. rousing; quickening:

   an awakening interest in ballet.

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

/ əˈweɪkənɪŋ; əˈweɪknɪŋ /

noun

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

   a picture of an emotional awakening

Other Words From

• a·waken·ing·ly adverb
• rea·waken·ing noun
• una·waken·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of awakening¹

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

Example Sentences

So was Sunday’s performance proof of a real awakening?

From Los Angeles Times

As I wrote in the original "cat lady" column, many women are slowly awakening to the fact that they hold more cards in their romantic hands than they've been previously allowed to see.

From Salon

The latter group is going to be in for a painful, literally, awakening when and if Trump and his regime take power.

From Salon

“Religious America is awakening, perhaps just in time for our country’s sake,” Reagan told a teeming crowd of evangelical voters in August 1980.

From Los Angeles Times

“When I heard ‘Blonde on Blonde’ on my 15th birthday, a friend gave me the album, and that was kind of an awakening into the world,” he said of Dylan’s seventh studio album.

From Los Angeles Times