What does quickening mean?
“Quickening” is a noun for the process of becoming faster, livelier, or more intensely engaging. It is often used figuratively to describe a rise in interest, excitement, or awareness: a quickening of curiosity can signal that a subject is beginning to attract more attention. The word can also refer to a quickening pace, pulse, or sense of urgency. In literary and historical contexts, it has a specialized meaning for the sensation of a fetus moving inside the womb. Derived from the adjective “quick” and the verb “quicken,” the word suggests not merely speed but an increase in energy, responsiveness, or emotional intensity. It is especially useful when describing a gradual but noticeable transition from calmness or indifference to activity and engagement.
nounThe act of becoming faster, more energetic, or more animated. In literary or historical use, it can also mean the sensation of a fetus moving in the womb.
- The act of becoming faster, more energetic, or more animated.
- A figurative increase in interest, excitement, or awareness.
- The sensation of fetal movement, especially when first noticed.
"There was a quickening of interest as the results began to arrive."
"The quickening of the pace made the final miles of the race feel increasingly tense."
"She felt a quickening of excitement when the envelope arrived."
The plural is used for separate instances of increased speed, activity, or interest.
"The successive quickenings in the music created a growing sense of urgency."
A quickening can mean that something is literally moving faster—or that people are suddenly paying much closer attention.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does quickening come from?
The noun is formed from “quicken,” meaning to make or become quick, lively, or animated. The verb comes from Middle English, where it developed from the adjective “quick,” an Old English word related to a wider Germanic family of words expressing speed or vitality. The modern figurative sense of stimulation or increasing interest developed alongside the older physical meanings of becoming faster and giving signs of life.
Related word forms
How quickening is actually used
The general senses are common in British and American English. The fetal sense is literary, historical, or medical in register and is now chiefly used in the phrase “the quickening.”
Easily confused with quickening
“Quick” is an adjective or adverb describing something that is fast or done rapidly, whereas “quickening” is a noun for the process of becoming faster or more animated.