Dictionary

awaken en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /əˈweɪkən/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English awakenen or awaknen, from Old English awæcnan or awæcnian, from a- plus wæcnan or wæcnian.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To cause to become awake.
   • Be careful how you touch her, she'll awaken / As sleep's the only freedom all that she knows / And when you walk into her eyes, you won't believe / The way she's always paying for a debt she never owes 1973, New Birth, “Wildflower”, in It's Been A Long Time:
2. (intransitive) To stop sleeping; awake.
   • For this growing set, the idea that we might have a fixed, natural lifespan is pure defeatism—“deathism” even, a spell from which we must awaken to realise our full potential. 2025 October 25, Stephen Cave, “Threescore and many more”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 9:
   • Each morning he awakens with a smile on his face.
3. (figuratively, transitive) To bring into action (something previously dormant); to stimulate.
   • On the other hand, the self-cleaning smokebox belongs to the latter-day period of the L.M.S.R., when the visiting U.S.A. 2-8-0s of the war had awakened an interest in such things. 1951 April, Stirling Everard, “A Matter of Pedigree”, in Railway Magazine, number 600, page 273:
   • We hope to awaken your interest in our programme.
   • He tries to awaken in them self-respect and reverence for their own spiritual culture. 1929, Abraham Zevi Idelsohn, Jewish Music: Its Historical Development, page 446:
   • Awaken your entrepreneurial spirit!
4. (intransitive) Of something previously dormant, to become active.
   • I'll miss the sea. But a person needs new experiences. They draw something deep inside, allowing him to grow. Without change, something sleeps inside us and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken. 1984, 20:05 from the start, in Dune (Science Fiction), →OCLC:
5. To call to a sense of sin.
6. (form-of, participle, past, rare) past participle of awake
   form of awake
   • [This ant] I ſuffered to lye above an hour in the Spirit; and after I had taken it out, and put its body and legs into a natural poſture, remained moveleſs about an hour; but then , upon a ſudden, as if it had been awaken out of a drunken ſleep, it ſuddenly reviv'd and ran away... 1665, Robert Hooke, Micrographia:
7. (figuratively, transitive) To cause to become aware.
8. (figuratively, intransitive) To become aware.
   • [S]he pointedly remarked that they had just moved to the city a month previous, that they were dissatisfied, and would return to Hoosierdom in June. I was completely taken in, and departed without making the assessment. However, when whole flatsful began to make similar explanations under similar circumstances, I awoke to the fact that I had been bluffed. 1905 May 21, “Woes of Tax Assessor Many and Laughable. By a Deputy.”, in Worker’s Magazine: For the Man Who Works with Hand or Brain (The Sunday Plain Dealer), Cleveland, Oh., →OCLC, page [4], column 4:
   • I suddenly awoke to the possibilities of the new invention.

Forms

Antonyms

knock out · fall asleep · anesthetize · cradle · lull · put to sleep · belull · put down

Deriveds

awakener · awakenment · reawaken · awakenable

Hyponyms

pipe up · bewake

Relateds

wakefulness · reveille

Synonyms

exalt · liven up · leaven · ginger · abraid · spice · wake · knock up · arouse · brighten · awake · wake up · arise · fire up · spice up · bring round · inflame · inspire · wake up · cheer · rouse · energize · knock up · excite · awaken · uprouse · get up · uprouse · awaken · kindle · enliven · waken · quicken · stimulate · beghast · bright · stir · liven · jazz · rise · arouse · energize · perk up · animate · enthuse · roust · cry · invigorate · animate · inspirit · wake · vitalise · awaken · ginger up · stir · arouse · rouse · awake · awake · waken

Translations (152)

gd dùisg (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · ru пробуди́ть (transitive: to cause to become conscious) · cs vzbudit (transitive: to cause to become awake) · sh пробу́дити (transitive: to cause to become awake) · ru разбуди́ть (transitive: to cause to become awake) · cs budit (transitive: to cause to become awake) · sv väcka (transitive: to cause to become awake) · pt despertar (transitive: to cause to become awake) · nl zich opwekken (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · ru просыпа́ться (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · ru просну́ться (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · sa जागर्ति (transitive: to cause to become awake) · cmn 喚醒 /唤醒 (transitive: to cause to become awake) · nl wekken (transitive: to cause to become awake) · ka გაღვიძება (transitive: to cause to become awake) · cmn 醒 (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · ru пробужда́ть (transitive: to cause to become awake) · ga múscail (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · ja 起きる (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · bg пробу́ждам (transitive: to cause to become awake) · fa بلند کردن (transitive: to cause to become awake) · wa si rewoeyî (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · ary فيّق (transitive: to cause to become awake) · de erwachen (transitive: to cause to become conscious) · hy զարթնել (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · kk ояту (transitive: to cause to become awake) · nl wakker maken (transitive: to cause to become awake) · da vække (transitive: to cause to become awake) · mt qam (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · nb våkne (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · vi tỉnh dậy (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · da vække (transitive: to cause to become conscious) · tr uyanmak (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · pt acordar (transitive: to cause to become awake) · uk пробу́джувати (transitive: to cause to become awake) · sa बुध्यते (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · cmn 醒來 /醒来 (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · fi havahduttaa (transitive: to cause to become conscious) · vi tỉnh táo (transitive: to cause to become awake) · fa بیدار کردن (transitive: to cause to become awake) · izh havaita (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · uk розбу́джувати (transitive: to cause to become awake) · ka გამოღვიძება (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · cmn 叫醒 (transitive: to cause to become awake) · ka გაღვიძება (transitive: to cause to become conscious) · sh пробуђи́вати (transitive: to cause to become awake) · wa rewoeyî (transitive: to cause to become awake) · sk vzbudiť (transitive: to cause to become awake) · mk разбуди (transitive: to cause to become awake) · ar أَيْقَظَ (transitive: to cause to become awake) · vi thức dậy (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · ht reveye (transitive: to cause to become awake) · es despertarse (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · sv vakna upp (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · sh probúditi (transitive: to cause to become awake) · ar أَفَاقَ (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · sk budiť (transitive: to cause to become awake) · et ärkama (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · hu ébred (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · grc ἐγείρω (transitive: to cause to become awake) · ia eveliar (transitive: to cause to become awake) · ja 起こす (transitive: to cause to become awake) · hu ébreszt (transitive: to cause to become awake) · ru пробуди́ться (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · la excitor (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · ru буди́ть (transitive: to cause to become awake) · la excito (transitive: to cause to become conscious) · sv vakna (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · ary فاق (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · ro scula (transitive: to cause to become awake) · et äratama (transitive: to cause to become awake) · la expergiscor (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · hu kelt (transitive: to cause to become conscious) · fi herätä (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · it svegliarsi (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · nb vekke (transitive: to cause to become conscious) · de erwachen (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · wa si dispierter (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · la exsuscito (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · bg пробу́дя (transitive: to cause to become awake) · ru пробужда́ться (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · es despertar (transitive: to cause to become conscious) · de wecken (transitive: to cause to become awake) · de wecken (transitive: to cause to become conscious) · eo veki (transitive: to cause to become awake) · ca despertar (transitive: to cause to become awake) · hu ébreszt (transitive: to cause to become conscious) · ro trezi (transitive: to cause to become awake) · la expergō (transitive: to cause to become awake) · es despertar (transitive: to cause to become awake) · sq çoj (transitive: to cause to become awake) · ar اِسْتَيْقَظَ (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · fr se réveiller (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · pt acordar (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · de aufwachen (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · tr uyandırmak (transitive: to cause to become awake) · de wach werden (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · hu felébred (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · hu felkelt (transitive: to cause to become conscious) · nn vekkja (transitive: to cause to become awake) · da vågne (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · hu felébreszt (transitive: to cause to become awake) · mk буди (transitive: to cause to become awake) · la excito (transitive: to cause to become awake) · pt acordar (transitive: to cause to become conscious) · ru пробуди́ть (transitive: to cause to become awake) · it svegliare (transitive: to cause to become awake) · be будзі́ць (transitive: to cause to become awake) · bg бу́дя (transitive: to cause to become awake) · ga múscail (transitive: to cause to become awake) · cs probudit (transitive: to cause to become awake) · nn vakna (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · tr ayıltmak (transitive: to cause to become conscious) · sh probuđívati (transitive: to cause to become awake) · sl prebuditi (transitive: to cause to become awake) · fa بیدار شدن (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · be разбу́джваць (transitive: to cause to become awake) · be абудзі́ць (transitive: to cause to become awake) · sa बोधयति (transitive: to cause to become awake) · fi herättää (transitive: to cause to become awake) · hy արթնացնել (transitive: to cause to become awake) · hu felébreszt (transitive: to cause to become conscious) · uk розбуди́ти (transitive: to cause to become awake) · grc ἐγείρομαι (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · pt despertar (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · sl prebujati (transitive: to cause to become awake) · hy արթնացնել (transitive: to cause to become conscious) · uk буди́ти (transitive: to cause to become awake) · de aufwecken (transitive: to cause to become awake) · ga múscail (transitive: to cause to become conscious) · wa dispierter (transitive: to cause to become awake) · et äratama (transitive: to cause to become conscious) · tr canlandırmak (transitive: to cause to become conscious) · sk prebudiť (transitive: to cause to become awake) · apw náô’da (transitive: to cause to become awake) · qu hatariy (transitive: to cause to become awake) · ru пробужда́ть (transitive: to cause to become conscious) · hy արթնանալ (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · be разбудзі́ць (transitive: to cause to become awake) · fr réveiller (transitive: to cause to become awake) · hy զարթնեցնել (transitive: to cause to become awake) · ko 깨우다 (transitive: to cause to become awake) · ja 目覚める (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · ja 目を覚ます (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · uk пробуди́ти (transitive: to cause to become awake) · nl wakker worden (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · nb vekke (transitive: to cause to become awake) · eo vekiĝi (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · fi herättää (transitive: to cause to become conscious) · fa بلن کردن (transitive: to cause to become awake) · ka გაღვიძება (intransitive: to stop sleeping) · ro deștepta (transitive: to cause to become awake)