For the first time he realized the significance of the position.
She probably did not realize the significance of what had just happened, he thought.
It took a moment for her to realize the significance of what he held.
For a moment I did not realize the significance of this.
Only later had they realized the significance of that development.
Suddenly, for the first time, I realized the significance of his words.
It wasn't as if he hadn't known about this test or realized its significance.
It took me a moment to realize the significance of that.
"Not every officer would have realized the significance of what you saw."
I hadn't realized the significance of the date until now.