Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective wide-awake contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of wide-awake are alert, vigilant, and watchful. While all these words mean "being on the lookout especially for danger or opportunity," wide-awake applies to watchfulness for opportunities and developments more often than dangers.

wide-awake companies latched onto the new technology

Where would alert be a reasonable alternative to wide-awake?

Although the words alert and wide-awake have much in common, alert stresses readiness or promptness in meeting danger or in seizing opportunity.

alert traders anticipated the stock market's slide

When could vigilant be used to replace wide-awake?

The synonyms vigilant and wide-awake are sometimes interchangeable, but vigilant suggests intense, unremitting, wary watchfulness.

eternally vigilant in the safeguarding of democracy

In what contexts can watchful take the place of wide-awake?

While in some cases nearly identical to wide-awake, watchful is the least explicit term.

the watchful eye of the department supervisor

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wide-awake Pedro Pascal, Kristen Stewart, and Sebastian Stan films hit Sundance 2024: See the full lineup MIDNIGHT From horror flicks and wild comedies to chilling thrillers and works that defy any genre, these films will keep you wide-awake and on the edge of your seat. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 11 Dec. 2024 For wide-awake eyes, Mrs. Bieber swipes on Kosas’ Revealer Concealer, which is another multipurpose product. Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 20 Sep. 2024 Forgotten that prayer is a kind of wide-awake drift toward God. Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 20 Aug. 2024 Blackout shades and curtains are a dream for light sleepers and for parents who want wide-awake children to nod off at nap time. Rachel Klein, Popular Mechanics, 27 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wide-awake
Adjective
  • Not being able to sleep and being awake are two distinct settings.
    Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
  • Here are a few of our favorites: Honey-Garlic Chicken Marry Me Chicken Casserole Chicken Bog Cast-Iron Roast Chicken King Ranch Chicken Casserole Chicken And Corn Chowder Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 4 (14-oz.
    Craig Ruff, Southern Living, 20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Firefighters are still battling two monstrous wildfires that have burned for over a week as weary residents across Los Angeles County stayed alert for another round of Santa Ana winds on Wednesday.
    Sam Morgen, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2025
  • Myriad problems have plagued Los Angeles County’s alert system as wildfires keep torching America’s most populous county.
    Holly Yan, CNN, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Lauren Goode: Who among us doesn't want to have a nap gently guided by our wakeful rhythm?
    Lauren Goode, WIRED, 16 Jan. 2025
  • Low to medium doses show a reduction in the alpha frequency of brain waves (which correspond to relaxed and wakeful states), along with rising entropy, a signature finding of sober brains sinking deeper into a trip.
    Oshan Jarow, Vox, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Whether at restaurants or in the homes of relatives or friends, people who are allergic to certain foods must remain vigilant, since exposure to food allergens poses a risk for potentially severe and life-threatening reactions.
    Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
  • But forecasters are still warning residents to stay vigilant.
    Brittney Melton, NPR, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The teen has grown up largely out of the public and under the watchful eye of Williams, 44.
    Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025
  • Onlookers captured them interacting and throwing paper planes at one another, all under the watchful eye of the Tillman’s menacing Milchick.
    Jake Kanter, Deadline, 15 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near wide-awake

Cite this Entry

“Wide-awake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wide-awake. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on wide-awake

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