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Definition of waken

waken

/ˈweɪkən/
wa · ken
Adjective:waking
•
Past Simple:wakened
•
Past Participle:wakened
•
Present Participle:wakening
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waken Lexical Profile

waken Game Scores & Validity

• verb

1

To emerge or cause someone to emerge from a state of sleep.

Example

"The gentle sound of rain against the windowpane failed to waken the tired travelers."

2

To evoke, stir up, or make active a dormant feeling, memory, or awareness.

Example

"Reading the historical letters helped waken a deep appreciation for her ancestors' resilience."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for waken
Antonyms
View all antonyms for waken

Word Nuance & Usage

While 'wake', 'waken', 'awake', and 'awaken' all share the same core meaning, 'waken' and 'awaken' are completely regular in the past tense ('wakened', 'awakened') and sound slightly more literary or formal than everyday 'wake up'.

• Rhymes for waken

• Nearby Words

wakeful
wakefully
wakefulness
waken
waker
wakerobin
waking

Word Origin & Etymology

From Old English wæcnan ('to come to life, arise, be born'), derived from the Proto-Germanic root *waknanan, which is also the source of 'wake'.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Waken. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/waken
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