awake 1 of 2

awake

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective awake contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of awake are alive, aware, cognizant, conscious, and sensible. While all these words mean "having knowledge of something," awake implies that one has become alive to something and is on the alert.

a country always awake to the threat of invasion

How do alive and sensible relate to one another, in the sense of awake?

Alive adds to sensible the implication of acute sensitivity to something.

alive to the thrill of danger

When is aware a more appropriate choice than awake?

The synonyms aware and awake are sometimes interchangeable, but aware implies vigilance in observing or alertness in drawing inferences from what one experiences.

aware of changes in climate

In what contexts can cognizant take the place of awake?

In some situations, the words cognizant and awake are roughly equivalent. However, cognizant implies having special or certain knowledge as from firsthand sources.

not fully cognizant of the facts

When would conscious be a good substitute for awake?

Although the words conscious and awake have much in common, 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 it sensible to use sensible instead of awake?

While the synonyms sensible and awake are close in meaning, 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 awake
Adjective
In 2014, Tracy Morgan was nearly killed when a Walmart truck driver, awake for more than 28 hours, slammed into his van. Sonari Glinton, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025 Many parents know the struggle of trying to stay awake during their toddler's bedtime routine, and one dad was caught falling asleep by his own daughter—who made sure to bring receipts. Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 June 2025
Verb
When Mendler awoke some mornings, her mom would still be tapping away at her architectural designs. ArsTechnica, 11 June 2025 Hours before his execution, Rogers awoke at 3:45 a.m. and later received one visitor, said Department of Corrections spokesman Ted Veerman. Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 16 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for awake
Recent Examples of Synonyms for awake
Adjective
  • Tips to Break the Bedtime Screen Habit Dr. Verma, who was not involved in the research, offers the following tips to prevent wakeful effects from smartphones and get better sleep: Avoid screens 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime.
    Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 31 Mar. 2025
  • Lauren Goode: Who among us doesn't want to have a nap gently guided by our wakeful rhythm?
    Lauren Goode, WIRED, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • This can overwhelm analysts and lead to alert fatigue.
    Bhupendra Singh, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • The National Weather Service on Sunday posted an alert warning of elevated levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the atmosphere because of wildfire smoke.
    Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
Verb
  • Subsequently, in my waking life, the sight of a dog turned me into, well, a scaredy cat.
    Thomas Cangelosi, Hartford Courant, 27 June 2025
  • This could occur for players who tried to wake the game from sleep mode or who pressed a button to merely preview a purchasable item, the agency said in a complaint, which outline offenses from 2017 to 2022.
    Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • In 2020 Hugo Lagercrantz of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden observed that consciousness can only awaken when there are connections between brain areas called the thalamus and the cerebral cortex.
    Christian Wolf, Scientific American, 25 June 2025
  • The real Cooper, freshly awakened from a coma induced by sticking a fork in an electrical socket, his long-absent memory restored, arrives shortly thereafter, thence to be transported back in time to the night of the murder of Laura Palmer, which brought him to Twin Peaks so many years ago.
    Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 20 June 2025
Adjective
  • Stay informed, stay vigilant, and prioritize safety when enjoying the surf.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 1 July 2025
  • Authorities were urging residents in the vicinity to stay vigilant and exercise caution as the situation develops.
    Stepheny Price , Bradford Betz , Landon Mion , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 29 June 2025
Adjective
  • Monitor weather conditions via radar or lightning app. Keep a watchful eye on the sky.
    Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 26 June 2025
  • Once back in Chicago and under the watchful, concerned eye of her mother Ronnie (Anji White), Riri gets recruited by Parker Robbins (Anthony Ramos), the leader of a local heist crew that targets the area’s multimillionaires.
    Alison Herman, Variety, 25 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Awake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/awake. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.

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