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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective alive contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of alive are awake, aware, cognizant, conscious, and sensible. While all these words mean "having knowledge of something," alive adds to sensible the implication of acute sensitivity to something.

alive to the thrill of danger

When could awake be used to replace alive?

In some situations, the words awake and alive are roughly equivalent. However, awake implies that one has become alive to something and is on the alert.

a country always awake to the threat of invasion

Where would aware be a reasonable alternative to alive?

While in some cases nearly identical to alive, aware implies vigilance in observing or alertness in drawing inferences from what one experiences.

aware of changes in climate

When would cognizant be a good substitute for alive?

While the synonyms cognizant and alive are close in meaning, cognizant implies having special or certain knowledge as from firsthand sources.

not fully cognizant of the facts

When can conscious be used instead of alive?

The words conscious and alive can be used in similar contexts, but 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 sensible a more appropriate choice than alive?

Although the words sensible and alive have much in common, 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 alive An often droll world, for a moment revealing its contrasts, its irregularities, and suddenly becoming very much alive. Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025 Watching this film feels like RSVPing for a funeral of someone who is still alive. Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2025 Cassidy continues to keep Payne's memory alive in her day-to-day life. Rachel Raposas, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025 And that flexibility is part of what keeps the form alive. Arkansas Online, 14 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for alive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alive
Adjective
  • Taiwanese household name Janel Tsai co-stars as a mother who returns to the capital of Taipei with her two daughters, played by Instagram discovery Shih-Yuan Ma and child star Nina Ye, after several years of living in the countryside to open a stand at a buzzing night market.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025
  • From right to left, Minion's piece transitions from the portrait to a picture of the basketball player celebrating, accentuated with lines that echo his excitement, and then to a buzzing rod of light that highlights the star's role as a facilitator on the court.
    Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Last year, though revenue and operating profit increased, non-operating red ink pushed the company into a full-year loss of NT$766 million, or $25 million.
    Russell Flannery, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
  • The adjusted net income decreased by 8% y-o-y to $3.9 billion in the first nine months of 2022 due to higher expenses as a % of revenues and lower non-operating income.
    Trefis Team, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2023
Adjective
  • Like most extended car warranty providers, CarShield excludes pre-existing conditions that existed before your warranty took effect, as well as damage resulting from poor maintenance, neglect or intentional abuse.
    Brian Sloan, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Along with Young, Hooker also has pre-existing relationships with offensive linemen Cade Mays and Yosh Nijman and tight end James Mitchell dating back to his college days.
    Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Two days after becoming aware of it, Christianson met with the police, who were pessimistic on whether the city would be able to get its money back.
    David Clarey, jsonline.com, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Partnerships With Purpose & Impact Partnerships have been a loyalty staple for decades, but the newest wave is more context-aware.
    Jeff Fromm, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Like many other teams at this early stage, the Browns need live reps to improve the timing of their offensive operation and their overall comfort level.
    Zac Jackson, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Fans got an evening full of Moon Persons being handed out, show-stopping performances and plenty of surprises along the way — including a live f-bomb and touching family moment with the Osbournes.
    Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Panouses advises his clients to use intermediaries where possible and claim their prizes on busy news days, such as Election Day, to avoid coverage.
    Safiyah Riddle, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
  • This ought to be enough to keep you busy for a little while.
    Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Soldier feedback from the event is shaping ongoing enhancements to ensure warfighter readiness and operational relevance in dynamic threat environments, according to a press release.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Indeed, those leaders would be remiss not to seek AI operational efficiencies for the benefit of their shareholders.
    Michael Peregrine, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Some of the country’s oldest extant buildings and streets are found here, dating back to the 1600s.
    Sophie Friedman, AFAR Media, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Then just four months ago, the Supreme Court stated that adherence to extant precedent like Humphrey's Executor controls in resolving stay motions.
    Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 3 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Alive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alive. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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