Awaken

/əˈweɪkən/

verbBeginner📊CommonGeneral
2 meanings2 questions

Definitions

2 meanings
1

To stop sleeping; to become awake or conscious.

/əˈweɪkən/

verbneutralBeginner
General

To rouse from sleep; to become conscious.

The loud noise awakened the baby.

💡 Simply: To wake up.

More Examples

2

She awakened to the sound of birds chirping.

How It's Used

Everyday Life

"The alarm clock awakened me at 6 a.m."

Literary

"The gentle breeze awakened the sleeping flowers."

2

To stimulate or make aware; to rouse from inactivity or indifference.

/əˈweɪkən/

verbpositiveIntermediate
General

To rouse to a state of greater awareness or activity.

The teacher's words awakened a passion for learning in her students.

💡 Simply: To bring to life or make active again.

More Examples

2

The crisis awakened the nation to the need for change.

How It's Used

Figurative

"The speech awakened a sense of patriotism in the audience."

Tip:Think of awakening one's consciousness to something.

From Old English *āwǣcnan, from ā- 'on, away' + wǣcnan 'to wake'.

The word has been used in a similar sense since Old English, often with a sense of spiritual awakening as well as physical.

Memory tip

Think of 'a' (on) + 'wake' (to become conscious).

Word Origin

LanguageOld English
Original meaning

"to wake up"

awaken toawaken interestsuddenly awaken

Common misspellings

awakeningawakenning

Usage

40%Spoken
60%Written