awaken
- 01 B1 Intermediate
to stop sleeping, or to make someone else stop sleeping.
to rouse from sleep or to cease sleeping. Often used in formal or literary contexts where 'wake up' might feel too casual.
Simple“The sound of birds singing outside the window helped her awaken at dawn.”
In context“The prince was said to awaken only when the first rays of the summer solstice touched the castle walls.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
to start having a feeling or interest that was not there before.
to stimulate or bring a dormant emotion, interest, or memory into action.
Simple“The old photographs helped awaken memories of his childhood in the village.”
In context“The professor's lecture on ancient philosophy served to awaken a latent interest in ethics among the undergraduate students.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
to suddenly notice or understand a situation.
to become conscious or aware of a fact, situation, or truth. Often used with the preposition 'to'.
Simple“The city is finally beginning to awaken to the dangers of air pollution.”
In context“It took a significant financial crisis for the board of directors to awaken to the systemic flaws in their investment strategy.”
UsageCommonly takes the preposition 'to' when describing the object of awareness.
From Middle English awakenen or awaknen, from Old English awæcnan or awæcnian, from a- plus wæcnan or wæcnian.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.