Definitions

wakening

[wey-kuh-ning] / ˈweɪ kə nɪŋ /

VERB

stop sleeping

Synonyms

WEAK

arise awake awaken be roused bestir bring to life call come to get out of bed get up nudge open one's eyes prod rise rise and shine roll out rouse shake stir stretch tumble out turn out wake up

Antonyms

WEAK

discourage dissuade nap sleep

VERB

excite, stimulate

Synonyms

WEAK

activate animate arouse awaken challenge enliven fire fire up freshen galvanize grasp jazz up key up kindle notice pep up provoke quicken rally renew rouse see steam up stir up switch on understand whet zip up

Antonyms

WEAK

discourage dissuade nap sleep

VERB

wake

Synonyms

STRONG

arise arouse awake awaken bestir call nudge prod rise rouse shake stir stretch

WEAK

be roused bring to life come to get out of bed get up open one's eyes rise and shine roll out tumble out turn out wake up

Antonyms

STRONG

calm deaden discourage go to sleep lull sleep

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Barbara, who works with Joanne, said it was "such a shock wakening up to this".

From BBC • Jul. 19, 2025

And then I realized it was just my brain and my ears wakening up again to “this is what a theater sounds like.”

From Slate • Jul. 16, 2021

“It’s certainly some from new ownership. And it’s certainly from a wakening up from the league governance side; that you can’t keep doing things the way they were doing it.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 18, 2018

It’s a flash filled with a wakening, amused awareness that whatever Mr. Ryan’s characters are seeing at that moment might hold previously undetected potential — for diversion, for intrigue, for excitement.

From New York Times • Oct. 15, 2015

But I looked neither to rising sun, nor smiling sky, nor wakening nature.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë