woke

1 of 2

adjective

ˈwōk 

woker; wokest

chiefly US slang

1

a

: aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)

But we will only succeed if we reject the growing pressure to retreat into cynicism and hopelessness. … We have a moral obligation to "stay woke," take a stand and be active; challenging injustices and racism in our communities and fighting hatred and discrimination wherever it rises.

—Barbara Lee

… argued that … Brad Pitt is not only woke, but the wokest man in Hollywood … because he uses his status—and his production company Plan B—to create space for artists of color, with such films as 12 Years a Slave, Selma, and the upcoming film Moonlight.

—Giselle Defares

Being woke to gender discrimination is difficult; it ruins things you love. Entire canons of art are rotten to the core with it.

—Rachel Edelstein

—often used in contexts that suggest someone's expressed beliefs about such matters are not backed with genuine concern or action

There is never really a moment where a person of color doesn't have to deal with discrimination, whether it be veiled and passive or as blunt as possible. So, woke white people, why can't you step in?

—Lauren Sanchez

Enter the age of the performatively woke brand. Politics has become a kind of fashion accessory for corporate America these days, a way to profit from protest.

—Jon Gingerich

"Fake woke" behavior arises. We put the hashtags on our social media. #Sayhername, #icantbreathe, #blacklivesmatter. And repeat. The problem is that the level of concern we express online doesn't match the everyday behavior we exhibit.

—Surayya Walters

b

: reflecting the attitudes of woke people

woke values/language

In our newly woke times, there has been increased scrutiny of old films dealing with sensitive subjects.

—Hannah Jane Parkinson

He wants to make The Wombles more "woke" so the characters are gender-fluid or of different races.

—Liz Perkins

2

disapproving : politically liberal or progressive (as in matters of racial and social justice) especially in a way that is considered unreasonable or extreme

The national conservatives view today's liberals as woke cultural warriors who pose an existential threat to the nation and its traditions.

—Shadi Hamid

He's built a social media brand on the right railing against "woke liberals" and supporting former President Donald Trump.

—Marissa Martinez

The military is struggling to find new recruits to fill its ranks. … While the official reasons given by the military—including fewer face-to-face recruitments during the pandemic, and fewer young people who meet the physical standards required—likely play a role, some say it's because the military is too "woke," turning off its normal constituency of young, conservative recruits.

—Suzanne Bates

If there is any hope, it's that voters are rejecting woke green goals. Already this has occurred in Sweden and Italy, where voters threw out left-wing governments …

—Michael Shellenberger

'Woke capitalism' tends to be a term that critics use to refer to … portfolios that are built around environmental, social and governance issues like climate change or diversity.

—Victor Reklaitis

woke

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of wake

Examples of woke in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Presumably, these changes were part of Elon Musk’s personal campaign to build a less woke chatbot. —Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 16 July 2025

As a medication that supposedly was censored by elites—if not canceled outright by woke medicine and Big Pharma—ivermectin has become a symbol of medical freedom. —Benjamin Mazer, The Atlantic, 17 June 2025

In my opinion, USA Gymnastics has been absolutely plaqued by incredibly faulty leadership for many, many years and has also bent its knee to the woke mob. —Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2025

There are of course various woke topics that either go over people’s heads or downright repel them, such as: Defund the police, land dedications, preferred pronouns, equity, white privilege, LatinX, reparations, gender ideology and support for Hamas. —Matt Fleming, Oc Register, 2 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from past participle of wake entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1925, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing woke

• stay woke

Rhymes for woke

• bloke
• boeck
• broke
• choke
• cloak
• cloke
• croak
• folk
• hoke
• joke
• moke
• oak

Kids Definition

woke

1 of 2

past and past participle of wake

woke

2 of 2 adjective

ˈwōk 

chiefly US slang

1

: aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues especially of racial and social injustice

2

: politically liberal (as in matters of racial and social justice) especially in a way that is considered extreme

—used disapprovingly