Synonyms of awake

awake 1 of 2

adjective

1

as in wakeful

not sleeping or able to sleep

was awake until 3:00 a.m.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wakeful
• awakened
• sleepless
• wide-awake
• insomniac
• about
• up
• aware
• roused
• wakened
• aroused
• conscious
• revived
• astir
• rousted
• reawakened

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sleeping
• asleep
• resting
• dormant
• drowsy
• unawakened
• sleepy
• nodding
• somnolent
• dreaming
• napping
• slumbering
• slumberous
• dozing
• dozy
• hypnotized
• mesmerized

2

as in alert

paying close attention usually for the purpose of anticipating approaching danger or opportunity

awake to the possibility of trouble at the demonstration

Synonyms & Similar Words

• alert
• vigilant
• watchful
• wide-awake
• aware
• alive
• attentive
• careful
• regardful
• cautious
• observant
• conscious
• on the alert
• open-eyed
• wary
• on the ball
• on the qui vive
• prepared
• sensitive
• on tiptoe
• wakeful
• keen
• on guard
• cognizant
• sleepless
• mindful
• tenty
• Argus-eyed
• on one's toes
• observing
• ready
• heedful
• hypervigilant
• hyperalert
• chary
• sharp
• sharp-eyed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• asleep
• absent
• sleeping
• dreaming
• distracted
• oblivious
• unconscious
• dazed
• absorbed
• unaware
• preoccupied
• dreamy
• engrossed
• abstracted
• insensible
• careless
• unwitting
• unknowing
• unmindful
• daydreaming
• inattentive
• heedless
• absentminded
• unprepared
• unthinking
• unwary
• faraway
• unready
• unheeding

awake

2 of 2

verb

ə-ˈwāk 

1

as in to wake

to cause to stop sleeping

awoke the boys for breakfast

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wake
• awaken
• rouse
• waken
• arouse
• knock up
• raise
• roust
• stir
• revive
• disturb
• reawaken
• rout
• stimulate
• provoke
• bestir
• excite
• rewake
• agitate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• lull
• hypnotize
• mesmerize

2

as in to awaken

to cease to be asleep

at the sound of breaking glass she awoke with a start

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wake
• awaken
• waken
• rouse
• arouse
• rise
• watch
• roll out
• arise
• get up
• turn out
• reawaken
• revive
• stir
• rewake
• uprise
• shift

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sleep
• rest
• slumber
• doze
• drop off
• nap
• nod
• snooze
• couch
• retire
• bed (down)
• turn in
• sleep in
• catnap
• flop
• conk (off or out)
• lie up
• kip (down)
• doss (down)
• sack out
• oversleep

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

Recent Examples of awake

Adjective

There's a new drug that can help early morning shift workers stay awake and alert, a study out of Boston found. —Neal Riley, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026

So, does this feel any different, and will the luminosity keep you awake at night? —David Phelan, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026

Verb

This year, that surprise came when guests awoke on Christmas morning to find a Fender Acoustasonic Standard Telecaster next to their Christmas tree, its matte-black finish reflecting the glow of Christmas twinkle lights. —Wendy O'Dea, Robb Report, 28 Dec. 2025

On that day, Griffith recalls, her husband awoke feeling unwell and decided to stay in bed. —Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Dec. 2025