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awake

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective awake contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of awake are alive, aware, cognizant, conscious, and sensible. While all these words mean "having knowledge of something," awake implies that one has become alive to something and is on the alert.

a country always awake to the threat of invasion

How do alive and sensible relate to one another, in the sense of awake?

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

alive to the thrill of danger

When is aware a more appropriate choice than awake?

The synonyms aware and awake are sometimes interchangeable, but aware implies vigilance in observing or alertness in drawing inferences from what one experiences.

aware of changes in climate

In what contexts can cognizant take the place of awake?

In some situations, the words cognizant and awake are roughly equivalent. However, cognizant implies having special or certain knowledge as from firsthand sources.

not fully cognizant of the facts

When would conscious be a good substitute for awake?

Although the words conscious and awake have much in common, conscious implies that one is focusing one's attention on something or is even preoccupied by it.

conscious that my heart was pounding

When is it sensible to use sensible instead of awake?

While the synonyms sensible and awake are close in meaning, sensible implies direct or intuitive perceiving especially of intangibles or of emotional states or qualities.

sensible of a teacher's influence

Example 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 awake
Adjective
The rangers poked around camp with flashlights, striking up conversations with people still awake, and left. Denver Nicks, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2025 Nightmares about what happened — both on the street and in the hospital — keep him awake. Cara Anthony, Miami Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
Billy awoke to the sound of another alarm going off in the plant. Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025 Earlier that week, the men awoke in their cells at four in the morning, the usual time. Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for awake
Recent Examples of Synonyms for awake
Adjective
  • Tips to Break the Bedtime Screen Habit Dr. Verma, who was not involved in the research, offers the following tips to prevent wakeful effects from smartphones and get better sleep: Avoid screens 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime.
    Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 31 Mar. 2025
  • Lauren Goode: Who among us doesn't want to have a nap gently guided by our wakeful rhythm?
    Lauren Goode, WIRED, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Knowing these risk factors can encourage individuals to be more alert about suicide.
    Eric Wood, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Both Stewart and Kalitta were alert and exited their cars under their own power.
    Lydia Mee, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Smoothing round poppy seeds and sea salt—which do the gentle buffing—come suspended in a hunk of detoxifying French blue clay, nourishing olive fruit oil, and zingy peppermint essential oil, the latter of which wakes you up better than any iPhone alarm.
    Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
  • If anything, conflict is to be expected; seeing eye-to-eye every waking moment of every day would be far more concerning.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The box office success of King Kong’s 1952 rerelease, followed by Eugene Lourie’s The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953), where a dinosaur was awakened by an atomic blast, both served as inspiration.
    Michael Taube, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Gentle pressure with fingers or toys designed for curved reach can help awaken this zone.
    Essence, Essence, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • In an era of frequent job changes, staying vigilant about your 401(k)s is essential.
    Brian Menickella, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Be vigilant about rooting them out until the first hard frost kills them.
    Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Caption with Intention has been a project in the pipeline since 2019 under the watchful eye of Bruno Mazzotti, an Executive Creative Director at FCB Chicago who, having grown up in Brazil with two deaf parents, identifies as a real-life CODA as in the 2022 Oscar-winning film of the same title.
    Gus Alexiou, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Nine other members of the American team are there, under the watchful eye of Bradley and his vice-captains.
    Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Awake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/awake. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.

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