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

LifeLock Ultimate Plus monitors all three major credit bureaus to maintain a watchful eye on your credit reports and credit score. —Advertising Content From Norton, PC Magazine, 28 May 2025

Vargas tried to keep a watchful eye over her daughter. —Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2025

Under the watchful eyes of legendary Captains Deena Pilgrim and Enki Sunrise, the new detectives run through a minefield of all-new dangers. —Jennifer Maas, Variety, 22 May 2025

With less than 100 days before its Aug. 31 debut from the Orlando-area port, the ship left Monday on an 11-day series of trials to test out the vessel’s navigation, naval architecture and engineering with more than 2,000 watchful eyes on board making sure Star of the Seas is seaworthy. —Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 May 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