as in alert
paying close attention usually for the purpose of anticipating approaching danger or opportunity
the toddler played under the watchful eye of her parents
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Recent Examples of watchful
Sign-toting protesters walked down Colorado Boulevard under the watchful eye of Pasadena police officers on motorcycles.
—
Staff and Wire Reports, Daily News, 28 Mar. 2026
Article continues below Gnanamoorthy kept a watchful eye on the weather forecast as the eclipse drew closer, tracking cloud fronts that could make or break his expedition.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 25 Mar. 2026
Danae kept a watchful eye over the young ones.
—David Gleisner, Outside, 24 Mar. 2026
Your 2nd House of Production is now under the Moon’s watchful eye.
—Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for watchful
Staff and Wire Reports, Daily News, 28 Mar. 2026
Article continues below Gnanamoorthy kept a watchful eye on the weather forecast as the eclipse drew closer, tracking cloud fronts that could make or break his expedition.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 25 Mar. 2026
Danae kept a watchful eye over the young ones.
—David Gleisner, Outside, 24 Mar. 2026
Your 2nd House of Production is now under the Moon’s watchful eye.
—Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for watchful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for watchful
Adjective
-
Anyone hoping on the CTA knows to be alert, but over the weekend, one passenger on the train left passengers, not to mention those driving along the Dan Ryan, stunned.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
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AccuWeather warns that residents across the risk zone should stay alert for shifting forecasts, watches and warnings as conditions evolve.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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For many in Chinatown, the tragedy underscores the risks pedestrians face daily — even those who are vigilant.—
Kenny Choi,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
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Pinecrest police ends the Facebook post warning other neighbors in the area to stay vigilant, and for potential lawbreakers to stay far away.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Right now, the astronauts are awake and having breakfast.—
Charlie Gile,
NBC news,
1 Apr. 2026
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The Project’s participants were instructed to fight one another and endure simulated drowning, among other humiliations and discomforts, while remaining awake for most of three days.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Orion is a tight space for four people to navigate, so the crew members have a careful choreography to maximize the data the astronauts can gather.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
4 Apr. 2026
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Through careful tuning of an extended Kalman filter and by taking advantage of bamboo’s natural vibration-damping properties, the system slashes control latency from 15–20 milliseconds down to just 8–10 milliseconds, enhancing responsiveness while keeping flight stable.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Watchful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/watchful. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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