rude awakening
noun
: surprising and unpleasant discovery that one is mistaken
He thinks he can get by without doing any work, but he is in for a rude awakening.
Examples of rude awakening in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For MBAs who may rely heavily on campus recruiting programs, this shift can be a rude awakening.
—
Chris Westfall, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
There’s no better example of that than Arkansas: a fine-but-nothing-special team that might be in for a rude awakening the next two months.
—Brendan Marks, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
Seeing and hearing the other students play was a rude awakening.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Jan. 2025
That one wasn’t received very well, and that became a rude awakening.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 22 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rude awakening 
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Chris Westfall, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
There’s no better example of that than Arkansas: a fine-but-nothing-special team that might be in for a rude awakening the next two months.
—Brendan Marks, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
Seeing and hearing the other students play was a rude awakening.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Jan. 2025
That one wasn’t received very well, and that became a rude awakening.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 22 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rude awakening
Dictionary Entries Near rude awakening
Cite this Entry
“Rude awakening.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rude%20awakening. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
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