as in dawn
the first appearance of light in the morning or the time of its appearance
the cold, gray dawning of a wintry day
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in beginning
to come into existence
a smile dawned on his face as he got the joke
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dawning
Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026
Ever enterprising, Toha does eventually make her way back to the party, but there, the ultimate dawning of her place outside of Nelly’s circle is heartbreaking.
—Alissa Simon, Variety, 25 Feb. 2026
His addition also heralded the dawning of an era in which LACMA actively sought to strengthen its connections with the entertainment world.
—Arts Editor, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
From the origins of the Yakuza, the dawning of chemical warfare, and FDR’s spy shops, the novel treks across World War II to the dawn of the Cold War.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
The dawning of light in this actor’s eyes breathes life into the old tale.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
On social media, some people even suggested this was the dawning of a new populist coalition of left and right.
—Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 30 Nov. 2025
As the sun rises behind the ELT, the image stands for the dawning of a new era in astronomical discovery.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 17 Sep. 2025
This is the dawning of the age of school choice.
—Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 14 Aug. 2025
Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 15 May 2026
But the young nation was dawning a new age.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
Three races in, there’ve been unforeseen winners, unpredicted changes to the schedule and the unanticipated reality of regulation changes dawning.
—Amanda Davies, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
This is the familiar stage of rhetorical climbdown, indicating dawning awareness that a problem is more complicated than the president initially thought.
—S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
As the contours of the trade deadline marketplace formed in a more robust fashion on Wednesday, for example, several dawning realities became apparent.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
But the slightly hectic pace created a palpable feeling of dawning revelation.
—Richard Godwin, Travel + Leisure, 5 Feb. 2026
Not coincidentally Miami won its last playoff game — its last to this day — in the 2000 season just as New England’s rise was dawning.
—Greg Cote
january 26, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2026
Season 1 had an ideal structure in the trio of obstacles engineered by Alexandre, dovetailing with Camille and Issei’s dawning acceptance of each other as allies instead of enemies.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 21 Jan. 2026
Noun
The quiet moments, the grief, the slow dawning of realization that her husband had written this piece as a way of dealing with his grief and her anger.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026
Ever enterprising, Toha does eventually make her way back to the party, but there, the ultimate dawning of her place outside of Nelly’s circle is heartbreaking.
—Alissa Simon, Variety, 25 Feb. 2026
His addition also heralded the dawning of an era in which LACMA actively sought to strengthen its connections with the entertainment world.
—Arts Editor, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
From the origins of the Yakuza, the dawning of chemical warfare, and FDR’s spy shops, the novel treks across World War II to the dawn of the Cold War.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
The dawning of light in this actor’s eyes breathes life into the old tale.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
On social media, some people even suggested this was the dawning of a new populist coalition of left and right.
—Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 30 Nov. 2025
As the sun rises behind the ELT, the image stands for the dawning of a new era in astronomical discovery.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 17 Sep. 2025
This is the dawning of the age of school choice.
—Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 14 Aug. 2025
Verb
Léa Seydoux gives a very committed, unaffected performance as Lucy, an experimental pianist who must deal with the dawning knowledge that her beloved husband Philip (Laurence Rupp) has a second life online as a pedophile pornographer.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 15 May 2026
But the young nation was dawning a new age.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
Three races in, there’ve been unforeseen winners, unpredicted changes to the schedule and the unanticipated reality of regulation changes dawning.
—Amanda Davies, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
This is the familiar stage of rhetorical climbdown, indicating dawning awareness that a problem is more complicated than the president initially thought.
—S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
As the contours of the trade deadline marketplace formed in a more robust fashion on Wednesday, for example, several dawning realities became apparent.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
But the slightly hectic pace created a palpable feeling of dawning revelation.
—Richard Godwin, Travel + Leisure, 5 Feb. 2026
Not coincidentally Miami won its last playoff game — its last to this day — in the 2000 season just as New England’s rise was dawning.
—Greg Cote
january 26, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2026
Season 1 had an ideal structure in the trio of obstacles engineered by Alexandre, dovetailing with Camille and Issei’s dawning acceptance of each other as allies instead of enemies.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 21 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dawning
Noun
-
Don't hike at dawn, dusk, or at night, when bears are most active.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
-
At the Wedge, spectators showed up at dawn and filled in through the day to get a glimpse at the chaos.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Korda’s final putt of the day curled in the right side of the cup to solidify her second consecutive round of 67 at Riviera after beginning the championship with a frustrating 2-over 73.—
Gabby Herzig,
New York Times,
7 June 2026
-
Student loans, often essential, often expensive and not always forgiven, are changing once again, with new federal rules set to take effect beginning July 1 and impact students starting in fall 2026.—
Kennedy Cook,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
At sunrise and sunset, the canyon becomes especially dramatic, with light and shadow deepening its immense depth.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
8 June 2026
-
Unlike most meteor showers, however, there is a very narrow window for viewing the Arietids — about 45 to 60 minutes before sunrise.—
Jules-Pierre Malartre,
Space.com,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Alchemist Kitchen spins food business gold Several of the businesses identified are graduates of the Alchemist Microenterprise Academy (AMA), a 12-week business training course that teaches the basics of starting a food business.—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
12 June 2026
-
Ohtani was one of two members of the Dodgers starting rotation who left the game injured.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
The new strategy comes a day after 21 people were arrested at a watch party that became violent and destructive, according to a law enforcement official.—
Mark Morales,
CNN Money,
10 June 2026
-
Chelsea’s 2005 summer signing of Ghana midfielder Michael Essien catapulted them into the national consciousness to the point where his manager there at the time, Jose Mourinho, is still a popular figure across Ghana to this day.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Widespread rumors, often arising from fear and misinformation, discourage residents from adhering to health warnings or seeking medical help during an outbreak, health officials say.—
Ope Adetayo,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2026
-
And, unlike Section 122, there’s no limit to the level or duration of tariffs arising from Section 301 investigations.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
On the morn of Liberation Day, Trump called out four other Republican senators — Rand Paul, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Mitch McConnell — for pushing back on his plan.—
S.E. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2025
-
The light green safari shade is especially fun, or go for an aquatic vibe with the icy morn/sea wave two-combo.—
Rena Behar,
Travel + Leisure,
26 May 2023
Verb
-
The 79th annual Cannes Film Festival is around the corner, commencing May 13 with the opening ceremony at the Palais des Festivals in the south of France.—
Jaden Thompson,
Footwear News,
12 May 2026
-
This is the phase of the project that’s now commencing.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dawning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dawning. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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