watchful

adjective

watch·​ful ˈwäch-fəl 

ˈwȯch-

1

archaic

a

: not able or accustomed to sleep or rest : wakeful

b

: causing sleeplessness

c

: spent in wakefulness : sleepless

2

: carefully observant or attentive : being on the watch

watchfully

ˈwäch-fə-lē 

ˈwȯch-

adverb

watchfulness noun

Synonyms

• alert
• Argus-eyed
• attentive
• awake
• observant
• open-eyed
• tenty [Scottish]
• tentie
• vigilant
• wide-awake

Choose the Right Synonym for watchful

watchful, vigilant, wide-awake, alert mean being on the lookout especially for danger or opportunity.

watchful is the least explicit term.

the watchful eye of the department supervisor

vigilant suggests intense, unremitting, wary watchfulness.

eternally vigilant in the safeguarding of democracy

wide-awake applies to watchfulness for opportunities and developments more often than dangers.

wide-awake companies latched onto the new technology

alert stresses readiness or promptness in meeting danger or in seizing opportunity.

alert traders anticipated the stock market's slide

Examples of watchful in a Sentence

We need to be more watchful of our children.

The hotel is being built under the watchful eye of its architect.

Recent Examples on the Web

The official synopsis for the season, as per Hulu, reads: Glamorous singles live in a beautiful villa under the watchful gaze of the audience at home, who have the power to decide who stays and who goes. —Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025

Though the maneuver took place under the watchful gaze of ground control, the satellites aligned and maintained their relative positions, down to a single millimeter, autonomously. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 June 2025

In a twenty-year-old with no relevant history, the same finding is likely benign—watchful waiting may suffice. —Siddhartha Mukherjee, New Yorker, 16 June 2025

The cops keep turning up (an itchy Kim Dickens and the more watchful Bobby Naderi) and casting aspersions. —Nina Metz Chicago Tribune, Boston Herald, 9 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing watchful

• keep a watchful eye on (someone or something)
• under the watchful/vigilant eye of

Kids Definition

watchful

adjective

watch·​ful ˈwäch-fəl 

ˈwȯch-

: continually on the lookout especially for danger

watchfully

-fə-lē 

adverb

watchfulness noun