awareness

noun

aware·​ness ə-ˈwer-nəs 

: the quality or state of being aware : knowledge and understanding that something is happening or exists

promoting a heightened awareness of the problem

seemed to have only a slight awareness of what was going on

an acute awareness of subtle differences

They hope to raise awareness of endangered species, encouraging donations and attracting tourists to the region to support conservation efforts.

—New Scientist

The alternative press played a particularly important role in raising political awareness and facilitating mobilization against the regime in South Africa …

—Larry Diamond

Synonyms of awareness

• attention
• mindfulness
• consciousness
• knowledge

Examples of awareness in a Sentence

while strolling in the big city, maintain an awareness of what's going on around you

Recent Examples on the Web

Imaging, detection, and environmental monitoring tools The technology is particularly important for situational awareness in environments where human monitoring alone is insufficient due to scale, complexity, or safety risks. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 12 Mar. 2026

The purchase for an undisclosed sum is meant to boost Anduril’s capabilities in space domain awareness, battle management and fire control. —Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2026

His aerial strength and positional awareness allow SDFC’s midfield to step higher, knowing the back line remains stable. —Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026

This is the familiar stage of rhetorical climbdown, indicating dawning awareness that a problem is more complicated than the president initially thought. —S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing awareness

• hyper-awareness
• self-awareness

Rhymes for awareness

• unawareness
• bareness
• fairness
• squareness
• unfairness