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Glite Dictionary
⏰ To wake up 💡 To make aware
to awaken

to awaken

73 1.8
To stop sleeping or make someone else wake up
  • verb
  • /əˈweɪkən/
translation icon : despertar
  • The loud alarm clock will awaken me at 7 AM every morning.
  • awakened from sleep
  • awakened one morning
  • awakened at night

That is, the birds sang, and I awoke in failing dark.

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Examples

  • You can't know what will ultimately matter to you, what will grab you by the shoulders and awaken you and stay with you.

  • Craig, who is seven, has been awakened by their voices and is crying in his bed.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • You shut it down and then you awaken this part of your brain.

  • Focus that energy into specific areas of the mind to awaken higher states of consciousness.

  • In the dark hole below the tent, Mary awakened to find her baby dead in her arms.

    Academic text (2004)

  • He was awakened by a kiss.

    Sabotage (1996)

  • A few hours later, though, he was awakened by Jennifer shaking his shoulder.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • We awakened at sunrise and were told that we were to run eight miles through the mountains and that if we made it, we were ready to start our new lives.

    Last Resort (1996)

  • Aunt Josie lived alone and was awakened one night by a knocking at her door.

    Academic text (2000)

  • Late that night, several masked men stormed into his home, awakening Rogers from his sleep.

    Academic text (2008)

Synonyms

to wake
vsto awaken
∞ 1.0

To stop sleeping or make someone else stop sleeping

is a slightly more formal word for that same action
to wake up
vsto awaken
∞ 1.0

To stop sleeping or make someone else stop sleeping

is a single formal verb alternative rather than a phrasal form
to awake
vsto awaken
107 1.0

To stop sleeping or make someone stop sleeping

is a slightly more formal or literary alternative to this verb
to rouse
vsto awaken
28 3.4

To wake someone up and make them alert after sleep

focuses on stopping sleep without adding the active or energetic sense
to arouse
vsto awaken
9 3.5

Make someone wake up or feel more energetic

focuses on stopping sleep without emphasizing energy or activation
to waken
vsto awaken
5 3.0

To stop sleeping or make someone stop sleeping

is the more usual modern single-word choice compared with this variant

Antonyms

to cause to sleep
3.9

To make someone fall asleep

How Awake

to arouse
9 3.5
to rouse
28 3.4
to awaken
73 1.8
to wake
∞ 1.0
to stir
75 1.0

Surface Forms

awaken infinitive
awakening present participle
awakens third person singular
awoke past
awoken past participle

Morphology

awaken = awake (transparent) = a + wake + en

For most learners, 'awaken' is readily understandable as 'become or make awake' from the familiar base 'awake'.

Etymology

Awaken comes from Old English parts a- meaning 'to' or 'on' and wacan meaning 'to wake', the same root as the common word wake. So to awaken is to stop sleeping or to make someone 'wake up'.