WAKE-UP CALL Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

wake-up call

noun

as in warning

something that tells of approaching danger or risk his high blood pressure was a wake-up call that he needed to do something about his health

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Example Sentences

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 wake-up call The persistence of that finding should be a wake-up call for employers already battling high turnover and labor shortages. —

Wire Services, Dallas News, 22 Mar. 2023 Those efforts show the pandemic has been a wake-up call, Horowitz said. —

Rachel Scott, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2023 Texas is on an entirely different level than those teams and had a bit of a wake-up call against Penn State. —

Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2023 Most important, the Fed and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) got a wake-up call that their oversight of middle-size banks has been dangerously lax. —

Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2023 See All Example Sentences for wake-up call

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wake-up call

Noun

Do not rely on outdoor warning sirens to wake you up indoors.

— Ahmad Bajjey, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
Such warnings are typical after rainfall, which can cause ocean and bay waters to become contaminated with bacteria, chemicals, trash, and other health hazards from city streets and mountain areas, the health department said.

— Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026