rude awakening
noun
: surprising and unpleasant discovery that one is mistaken
He thinks he can get by without doing any work, but he is in for a rude awakening.
Examples of rude awakening in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ali Mohammadi | Bloomberg | Getty Images The oil market faced a rude awakening this week after Iran launched a large-scale ballistic missile attack against Israel, briefly sending crude prices more than 5% higher Tuesday after a period of sleepy trading.
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Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2024
Otherwise, Davis may be in store for a rude awakening.
—Giana Levy, refinery29.com, 8 Oct. 2024
But the realities of the entertainment industry were a rude awakening.
—Alanna Bennett, Glamour, 3 Oct. 2024
Return-to-office is a rude awakening for millions of Americans who were forced to go remote or hybrid during the pandemic and discovered the benefits of work-from-home status.
—Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 17 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rude awakening 
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Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2024
Otherwise, Davis may be in store for a rude awakening.
—Giana Levy, refinery29.com, 8 Oct. 2024
But the realities of the entertainment industry were a rude awakening.
—Alanna Bennett, Glamour, 3 Oct. 2024
Return-to-office is a rude awakening for millions of Americans who were forced to go remote or hybrid during the pandemic and discovered the benefits of work-from-home status.
—Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 17 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rude awakening
Dictionary Entries Near rude awakening
Cite this Entry
“Rude awakening.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rude%20awakening. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
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