DAWNING Synonyms: 77 Similar and Opposite Words

dawning 1 of 2

noun

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

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dawning

2 of 2

verb

present participle of dawn

as in beginning

to come into existence a smile dawned on his face as he got the joke

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of dawning

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

In this dawning age of artificial intelligence, tech companies are racing to train and run their large language models using massive data centers that guzzle electricity and strain resources. — Arielle Frommer, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2026 And Cooke, the season’s MVP of revealing expressions and reaction shots, conveys through Alicent’s uncertain and frightened face at all those butterflies a dawning realization of the betrayal she’s suffered. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dawning

Noun

Carl Adamec, who wrote about local Connecticut sports since the early 1980s, started covering UConn women’s basketball as a full-time beat for the Journal-Inquirer at the dawn of Geno Auriemma’s tenure, long before most others.

— Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 16 Aug. 2026
That was the emotional dawn to follow Wednesday’s darkest hour, but before a new League One campaign beginning away to Leyton Orient tomorrow (Saturday), the enormity of the rebuild has become clear.

— Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of dawn

Verb

For Alexandre Gobillard, production director at the Gobillard & Fils Champagne house, beginning the harvest in mid-August was once almost unthinkable.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
The sale officially runs from August 20 through September 3, following a three-day preview beginning August 17.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of beginning

Noun

Sunlight bent and filtered through Earth's atmosphere leaks into the shadow, carrying the red-orange glow of every sunrise and sunset around the world.

— Jamie Carter, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Observed from lower latitudes, the orbital parade of satellites would peak in brightness at sunrise and sunset; toward the poles, the constellations would be bright and visible for most of the night during winter and the equinoxes.

— Arielle Frommer, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of sunrise

Noun

This space used to be their home, where so many legendary moments took place, scenes that are replayed over and over on game days inside Yankee Stadium, the history of the team so essential to its appeal.

— Sam Blum, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Specifically designed with game day in mind, the private members areas and bars can be converted into viewing platforms so guests can watch from a lounge or be in the action and watch live from the stands.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of day

Verb

At other times these techniques were employed amid disagreements between African American individuals, arising from issues such as economic competition or romantic jealousy.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
In December 2025, Leo filed an employment tribunal lawsuit against ITN, claiming discrimination arising from his disability.

— Jake Kanter, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of arising

Noun

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
This gives me, in the parking lot the next morn, yet another opportunity to introduce myself to fellow travelers who possess jumper cables.

— John Phillips, Car and Driver, 9 Jan. 2023

Definition of morn

Verb

Amanda Pedersen Giske / NTB/AFP via Getty Images The Norway squad touched down to a traditional water cannon salute before commencing their homecoming parade in the capital.

— Reuters, NBC news, 14 July 2026
Following Samsung's typical pattern, pre-orders for the new devices, including the Z Fold 8, Z Flip 8, and the innovative Z Fold 8 Wide, are anticipated to open immediately on July 22, with sales likely commencing around Friday, August 7.

— David Phelan, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Definition of commencing

Cite this Entry

Style

“Dawning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dawning. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of dawning

noun

verb

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