aware

adjective

ə-ˈwer 

1

: having or showing realization, perception, or knowledge

be aware of the danger

aware of the latest advances in medicine

2

archaic : watchful, wary

Synonyms

• alive
• apprehensive
• cognizant
• conscious
• mindful
• sensible
• sentient
• ware
• witting

Choose the Right Synonym for aware

aware, cognizant, conscious, sensible, alive, awake mean having knowledge of something.

aware implies vigilance in observing or alertness in drawing inferences from what one experiences.

aware of changes in climate

cognizant implies having special or certain knowledge as from firsthand sources.

not fully cognizant of the facts

conscious implies that one is focusing one's attention on something or is even preoccupied by it.

conscious that my heart was pounding

sensible implies direct or intuitive perceiving especially of intangibles or of emotional states or qualities.

sensible of a teacher's influence

alive adds to sensible the implication of acute sensitivity to something.

alive to the thrill of danger

awake implies that one has become alive to something and is on the alert.

a country always awake to the threat of invasion

Examples of aware in a Sentence

Are you aware how important you are to me?

She is one of the most aware people I know.

Recent Examples on the Web

As of Tuesday, Ford was not aware of any reports of accidents, injuries or fires linked to the fuel pump problem. —Anne Marie Lee, CBS News, 1 Jan. 2025

It would similarly be rejected by partners in the Indo-Pacific, where countries such as Japan are well aware that allowing Putin to claim a victory in Ukraine could directly embolden China to take action regarding Taiwan. —Alina Polyakova, Foreign Affairs, 31 Dec. 2024

President of baseball operations David Stearns is aware of the situation. —George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024

During the investigation on Monday, New Lisbon police became aware of a second missing child from their city. —Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 31 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English iwar, iwarre, going back to Old English gewær, going back to West Germanic *gawaro- (whence Old Saxon & Old High German giwar "cognizant"), from *ga-, perfective, associative and collective prefix + Germanic *waro- "cognizant, watchful" — more at com-, ware entry 1

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing aware

• hyper-aware
• self-aware

Kids Definition

aware

adjective

ə-ˈwa(ə)r 

-ˈwe(ə)r

: having or showing understanding or knowledge : conscious

awareness noun