awakening

/əˈweɪkənɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈweɪkənɪŋ/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈwāk-niŋ ə-ˈwā-kə-/ (ame, mw)

awakening — noun

1. a moment when somebody first comes to understand a truth, feeling, or reality th

1.名詞C1
釋義

a moment when somebody first comes to understand a truth, feeling, or reality that they had not seen before, often producing a strong shift in their views or actions.

例句

Losing the election was a rude awakening for the young senator from Ohio.

collocation: a rude awakening for [person]

The documentary about factory farms gave Kenji a moral awakening about his diet.

pattern: a [adjective] awakening about/to [topic]

同義詞
  • realization

    more neutral; lacks the suddenness implied by 'awakening'

  • epiphany

    a single flash of insight; 'awakening' suggests a longer dawning process

  • revelation

    stronger and more dramatic; often about a hidden truth being uncovered

反義詞
  • ignorance

    the state before any awakening occurs

  • denial

    active refusal to face what an awakening would reveal

文法句型

a [adjective] awakening

an awakening to/of [something]

用法筆記

Frequently preceded by an adjective that names the domain of the new understanding: rude, moral, spiritual, political, sexual, religious. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is figurative and abstract, not about literal sleep.

常見錯誤

❌I had an awakening when my alarm rang at 6.
✅My alarm woke me at 6.
💡sense 1 is about a sudden insight, not literal waking.
❌She got a rude waking.
✅She got a rude awakening.
💡the fixed collocation is 'rude awakening', not 'rude waking'.

2. the action of stopping sleep and becoming conscious again, or the short period r

2.名詞C1
釋義

the action of stopping sleep and becoming conscious again, or the short period right after a person opens their eyes in the morning.

例句

The baby's sudden awakening at 3 a.m. left both parents exhausted by sunrise.

pattern: [possessive] + awakening + at [time]

On awakening, Ilya noticed the smell of fresh bread drifting from the kitchen.

fixed phrase: on awakening (formal)

同義詞
  • waking

    more everyday; 'awakening' sounds literary or clinical

  • rousing

    stresses being shaken or stirred from sleep, not the sleeper's own waking

反義詞
  • sleep

    the state that awakening ends

  • slumber

    literary; the deep sleep before awakening

文法句型

the awakening of [somebody]

on awakening

用法筆記

More formal and literary than 'waking up'; common in medical reports, fiction, and poetry. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense refers to the physical event of leaving sleep, not to a mental insight.

常見錯誤

❌I awakening early today.
✅I woke up early today.
💡'awakening' is a noun, not a finite verb form.