Réveillés

Réveillés is the plural form of réveillé, the past participle of réveiller in French, used both as an adjective meaning awakened and as a noun meaning a person who has been awakened. The feminine plural is réveillées; the singular masculine is réveillé and the feminine singular réveillée. In everyday language, réveillés describes people who have woken up from sleep, for example in a sentence like “Les réveillés sortaient de la pièce.” Metaphorically, it can denote individuals who have become aware or enlightened, often in social, political, or intellectual contexts.

Etymology and form: réveiller comes from Old French reveillier, itself derived from veiller, meaning to watch or to stay awake, with the prefix re- indicating repetition or return to a prior state. The noun form réveillé is a derivative used to refer to a person who has undergone waking or awakening.

Usage: The term contrasts with terms for sleep or inactivity, such as dormeurs or couchés, when used literally. In literary and rhetorical contexts, réveillés frequently signals a shift in consciousness, a call to action, or a moment of collective awakening. In some texts, capitalized forms like Les Réveillés may appear to denote a specific group or movement, but this is context-dependent and not a standard grammatical category.

Grammatical notes: As an adjective, réveillé agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies (réveillé, réveillée, réveillés, réveillées). As a noun, it is masculine plural réveillés. When used figuratively, the sense is determined by surrounding context.

See also: réveiller, réveil, éveil, somnolence.