WAKEFULNESS Synonyms: 7 Similar and Opposite Words

wakefulness

noun

as in insomnia

the inability to obtain adequate sleep a nagging wakefulness that seemed resistant to all of the standard home remedies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 wakefulness The company’s key asset is cleminorexton (formerly known as ORX750), which seeks to mimic a molecule in the brain, known as orexin, that helps regulate wakefulness. —

Jeff Marks, CNBC, 31 Mar. 2026 For many women, that gentle nudge toward wakefulness was once easy to sleep through. —

Allison Palmer, Sacbee.com, 23 Mar. 2026 Curating your home's color palette can promote wakefulness in some areas and relaxation in others. —

Kamron Sanders, The Spruce, 22 Feb. 2026 In 2009, after studying a mother and a daughter who were both short sleepers, Fu published a paper about a variation in a gene called DEC2, which influences the production of orexin, a hormone associated with wakefulness. —

Shayla Love, New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2026 Green tea contains caffeine, which can promote wakefulness and alertness. —

Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 7 Jan. 2026 This midday slump is a natural dip in wakefulness your body experiences in the mid-afternoon. —

Colleen Murphy, Health, 6 Jan. 2026 These drugs don't actually provide laser-sharp focus but may instead boost wakefulness and engagement, helping the brain stay with tasks rather than hold attention. —

New Atlas, 3 Jan. 2026 More to the point, the old idea that serotonin is a simple, sleep-promoting signal in the brain is fully out of fashion; later research found that serotonin may also be a potent source of wakefulness, and that its function in the sleep-wake cycle is both complicated and diverse. —

Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 26 Nov. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wakefulness

Noun

Woods checked into rehab shortly after that incident, saying his efforts to manage insomnia and pain from his staggering number of surgeries on his own was a mistake.

— Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Earlier this year, St-Onge and her colleagues analyzed data from the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study and found that postmenopausal women who more closely followed the Mediterranean or DASH diets had about a 6% to 8% lower risk of developing insomnia over three years.

— The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026