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.
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
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
Jonathan D. Sarna3
: a coming into awareness
Like his discovery of literature, this intimacy becomes an awakening to the possibilities of life.—Morris Dickstein
Morris DicksteinExamples of awakening in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Or Rebecca Cox Jackson, the Shaker mystic, who left her husband and six children after a religious awakening, becoming an itinerant preacher and eventually the leader of her own sisterhood of Black Shakers.
—Ekow Eshun
july 11, Literary Hub, 11 July 2025
The moment when the war started was an awakening for me as a documentary filmmaker.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 9 July 2025
Uranus enters Gemini today, stimulating a spiritual awakening!
—Usa Today, USA Today, 7 July 2025
This was quite an awakening as for most of my life I am defined as being part of a minority class.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for awakening
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Ekow Eshun
july 11, Literary Hub, 11 July 2025
The moment when the war started was an awakening for me as a documentary filmmaker.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 9 July 2025
Uranus enters Gemini today, stimulating a spiritual awakening!
—Usa Today, USA Today, 7 July 2025
This was quite an awakening as for most of my life I am defined as being part of a minority class.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for awakening
Cite this Entry
“Awakening.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/awakening. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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