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

This could look like spontaneous travel plans, shifting your career focus or even a spiritual awakening. —Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025

That awakening was provoked by the post-bye-week return of star tight end Brock Bowers from a knee injury that had hobbled or sidelined him for most of the season. —Michael Silver, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025

Yet her description of awakening in a dark room after the procedure, the indecipherability of the space a metaphor for her slippery self, could have been written yesterday. —James Marcus, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025

That might frustrate viewers looking for a more straightforward arc of political awakening leading to some self-sacrificing action heroics on Adelaida’s part. —Jessica Kiang, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1583, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Phrases Containing awakening

• rude awakening

Rhymes for awakening

• reawakening
• wakening