awakening

noun

awak·​en·​ing ə-ˈwāk-niŋ 

ə-ˈwā-kə-

plural awakenings

1

: a rousing from sleep

The night terror is an abrupt awakening early in the night, most often within the first hour or two of sleep …

—Franklin Galvin et al.

2

a

: a rousing from inactivity or indifference

… one of the primary branches of yoga … prescribes various practices to assist the yogi in the gradual awakening of the heart.

—James Bailey

b

: a revival of interest in something (such as religion)

Russian Jews themselves experienced a cultural and political awakening after Israel's victory, some openly challenging their government's ban on religious and Hebrew training.

—Jonathan D. Sarna

3

: a coming into awareness

Like his discovery of literature, this intimacy becomes an awakening to the possibilities of life.

—Morris Dickstein

Examples of awakening in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Under the guidance of the brilliant but vicious and ethically challenged attorney Roy Cohn, Trump is introduced to the corridors of New York City power and undergoes a political awakening. —Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2025

As Johanne navigates her romantic awakening, the lines between memory and fiction blur, culminating in a self-reflective literary account of first love. —Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Feb. 2025

Osborn can sound like a factory man from a Bruce Springsteen song, a character whose youthful exuberance and restless sense of escape have been tempered by life’s hard awakenings. —Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2025

The flower is a symbol of purity, faithfulness, and spiritual awakening in Thailand, coming from The Red Lotus Sea, known in Thai as Talee Bua Daeng. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 15 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1583, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Phrases Containing awakening

• rude awakening

Rhymes for awakening

• reawakening
• wakening