awake 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of awakenext
1
as in wakeful
not sleeping or able to sleep was awake until 3:00 a.m.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in alert
paying close attention usually for the purpose of anticipating approaching danger or opportunity awake to the possibility of trouble at the demonstration

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

awake

2 of 2

verb

ə-ˈwāk How to pronounce awake (audio)
1
as in to wake
to cause to stop sleeping awoke the boys for breakfast

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to awaken
to cease to be asleep at the sound of breaking glass she awoke with a start

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
Privately, his severe anxiety over the possibility of a cancer recurrence kept him awake at night. —Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 7 June 2025 Whether smoking fumaroles, loud bangs, tremors, lava flows, or full on eruptions, Etna is always awake. —Erica Firpo, AFAR Media, 4 June 2025
Verb
The infant was sleeping between her mother, Lillian Burton, and stepdad when the parents awoke at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday to the disturbance in their bed in NYCHA’s Queensbridge North Houses in Long Island City. —Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 29 May 2025 Helberg awoke on Thursday to discover the massive bow of the NCL Salten resting a stone's throw from his home in Byneset, Norway, near Trondheim. —Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for awake
Recent Examples of Synonyms for awake
  1. wakeful
  2. alert
  3. wake
  4. awaken
  5. vigilant
  6. watchful
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
Definition of wakeful
Adjective
  • There’s nothing wrong with using technology to meet immediate emotional needs, but leaders should stay alert to the longer-term tradeoff.
    — Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
  • The advisory ranks Italy at Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution, which recommends travelers stay alert to possibly heightened risk.
    — Katie Nadworny, Travel + Leisure, 3 June 2025
Definition of alert
Verb
  • With an early-rising 11-month-old, who, without fail, woke before our alarm buzzed each morning, sleep—let alone restful, continuous sleep—was a far-off dream.
    — Alisha Prakash, Travel + Leisure, 14 June 2025
  • Eventually, while being held and shaken by a sobbing Timothy, Lochlan wakes back up.
    — Selome Hailu, Variety, 11 June 2025
Definition of wake
Verb
  • Leah’s inheritance becomes the inciting incident in a series of events that unravel her life: Her trip awakens a latent violence in her husband and an invigorating independent streak in her.
    — Xochitl Gonzalez, The Atlantic, 13 June 2025
  • The experience was shared on Reddit, where the passenger detailed how the person seated behind him, in first class nonetheless, repeatedly tapped and slapped the person's head and hat to awaken him to help retrieve a lost earbud.
    — Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 12 June 2025
Definition of awaken
Adjective
  • Arkansas officials urged residents of the surrounding Izard County to stay vigilant and lock the doors of their homes and vehicles following his escape.
    — Jack Moore, ABC News, 6 June 2025
  • Ron Martin, the Burleson officer who oversaw the case, urged shoppers to be vigilant when buying gift cards from racks at big box retailers.
    — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 June 2025
Definition of vigilant
Adjective
  • Under his watchful eye, the new site will spotlight the finest talents in the region.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 9 June 2025
  • Emmanuel-Thomas had got his first call-up to Arsenal’s first-team squad at age 17, and there were almost two years when the teenager trained under manager Arsene Wenger’s watchful eye.
    — Stuart James, New York Times, 6 June 2025
Definition of watchful

Browse Nearby Words

awaits
awake
awaken
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Cite this Entry

“Awake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/awake. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.

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