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 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
  • But that isn’t to say jolting awake shortly after turning out the lights is cause to schedule an MRI scan.
    Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 13 Nov. 2024
  • Here Catherine is again, unable to stay awake and protect her son.
    Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Bucks that seem alert and nervous — look for twitchy ears and a constantly bobbing head — are more likely to detect you movement and are also more likely to duck arrows.
    Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 6 Nov. 2024
  • Other cultures took naps during the day to adapt to intense midday temperatures or feel more alert during nighttime dangers.
    Carley Millhone, Health, 31 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • 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
  • Having the right pillow can make a big difference between a peaceful night’s sleep and a restless, wakeful one.
    Casey Clark, Peoplemag, 9 Sep. 2024
Adjective
  • But as with any potential emerging disease, staying vigilant is key.
    Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 5 Nov. 2024
  • Japan’s Ministry of Defense in Tokyo vowed to remain vigilant, to continue to gather information and to monitor the situation closely.
    Hakyung Kate Lee, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • In stage one the car is controlled remotely by a watchful parent.
    Vijay Govindarajan, Tojin T. Eapen, Daniel J. Finkenstadt, Harvard Business Review, 1 Nov. 2024
  • An oncologist who, in the face of this much evidence, shrugged and proposed watchful waiting as the best therapy would not be an optimist.
    Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024

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 21 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on wide-awake

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