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
These poor Dutch and Japanese fans are about to get a rude awakening on North Texas traffic control.
—
Jim Barnes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 June 2026
This guy, Bryce Mills, has a rude awakening.
—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
So Games 1 and 2 proved to be a rude awakening.
—
Marcus Thompson Ii,
New York Times,
13 June 2026
New Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh could face a rude awakening this week with the release of key inflation data that economists expect to show consumer prices continuing to surge in April.
—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for rude awakening
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Jim Barnes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 June 2026
This guy, Bryce Mills, has a rude awakening.
—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
So Games 1 and 2 proved to be a rude awakening.
—
Marcus Thompson Ii,
New York Times,
13 June 2026
New Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh could face a rude awakening this week with the release of key inflation data that economists expect to show consumer prices continuing to surge in April.
—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for rude awakening
Cite this Entry
“Rude awakening.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rude%20awakening. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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