Definition of VIGILANT

Choose the Right Synonym for vigilant

watchful, vigilant, wide-awake, alert mean being on the lookout especially for danger or opportunity. watchful is the least explicit term. the watchful eye of the department supervisor vigilant suggests intense, unremitting, wary watchfulness. eternally vigilant in the safeguarding of democracy wide-awake applies to watchfulness for opportunities and developments more often than dangers. wide-awake companies latched onto the new technology alert stresses readiness or promptness in meeting danger or in seizing opportunity. alert traders anticipated the stock market's slide

Examples of vigilant in a Sentence

Over the years, as tension between pitchers and hit batsmen heightened to the point that hitters began rushing the mound, umpires have had to become far more vigilant about keeping the game from degenerating into a dogfight. — Buzz Bissinger, Sports Illustrated, 21 Mar. 2005 At the Château de Wideville's magnificent seventeenth-century gates, guests have their names ticked off by vigilant staff and then snake through a lugubrious park à l'anglaise. — Hamish Bowles, Vogue, September 2002 And as a foreign tourist in North Korea, under the care of vigilant minders who wanted me to see only the best, I had enjoyed the finest fare available. — Christopher Hitchens, Vanity Fair, January 2001 A vigilant hand had, as usual, kept the fire alive and the lamp trimmed; and the room, with its rows and rows of books, its bronze and steel statuettes of "The Fencers" on the mantelpiece and its many photographs of famous pictures, looked singularly home-like and welcoming. — Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence, 1920 When traveling through the city, tourists should be extra vigilant. They were vigilant about protecting their children. We remain vigilant against theft.

Recent Examples on the Web

Donald Trump, and to stay vigilant in rejecting his lies, cruelty, and affronts to the institutions that define the US system of government. — Matthew Yglesias, Vox, "Donald Trump, the resistance, and the limits of normcore politics," 3 July 2018 While consumers of information must be vigilant and remain critical when taking in public messages today, tech leaders must develop sophisticated but easy-to-use tools for average message consumers to be able to see doctored content. — Catherine F. Brooks, WIRED, "Faked Video Could End Justice by Twitter Mob," 18 June 2018 On Saturday, workers at the pond were vigilant about safety. — Jeremy C. Fox, Amelia Nierenberg, BostonGlobe.com, "State officials, families alarmed by spate of drowning deaths," 8 July 2018 None of this would matter if institutions hiring academics were appropriately vigilant about checking candidates’ publication histories against blacklists, and similarly inquisitive about the publications of those already employed. — The Economist, "Some science journals that claim to peer review papers do not do so," 21 June 2018 Laura Paine, the company's public and analyst relations manager, said that many agencies are still developing their applications with older programming languages known to be vulnerable and that many of them aren't vigilant about addressing flaws. — Alex Johnson /, NBC News, "Trump eliminates job of national cybersecurity coordinator," 16 May 2018 As such, businesses should remain vigilant and take proactive steps to avoid being targeted. — Carol Lumpkin And Stephanie Moot, miamiherald, "Is your website ADA-compliant? Avoid becoming a litigation target," 25 June 2018 Boston police are warning Dorchester residents to remain vigilant after several recent early-morning break-ins in the neighborhood. — Travis Andersen, BostonGlobe.com, "Someone’s breaking into homes in the predawn hours in Dorchester," 19 June 2018 The Metropolitan Police said there was no specific intelligence of an attack on New Year's Eve but urged people to remain vigilant. — Andrew Dansby, Houston Chronicle, "One more storm of blood from Slayer, on the metals band’s final tour," 13 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vigilant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.