ALERTNESS Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

alertness

noun

Definition of alertness

as in carefulness

a close attentiveness to avoiding danger drove through the fog with extra alertness, as the road signs repeatedly warned of deer and moose crossings

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in watchfulness

the state of being constantly attentive and responsive to signs of opportunity, activity, or danger we observed the U.S. border patrol's intensified alertness for drug smugglers at the border stations

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 alertness To achieve this, the locus coeruleus continuously alternates between tonic activity—governing baseline arousal and alertness—and brief phasic bursts that focus attention on critical events. — Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026 During the campaign, candidates are in a state of constant alertness. — Max Taves, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2026 As evening arrives, the body releases melatonin to signal rest while cortisol, the alertness hormone, drops. — Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 8 Aug. 2026 The replacement of old, negative patterns of thinking with pure thoughts from God, Love, requires alertness. — Linda Berckmann, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Aug. 2026 The lack of sleep and lack of rest wears down firefighters physically and mentally; the mental alertness, the mental sharpness is not always there, and also the burnout. — Rashad Williams, CBS News, 31 July 2026 This meant moving outside of the traditional tableau of White House photojournalism—an orator on a pedestal—to show members of the press in postures of alertness or repose. — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 24 July 2026 The goal is to anchor the body’s rhythms, sharpen daytime alertness and improve sleep timing. — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 21 July 2026 Also, never swim after drinking alcohol or using marijuana or other substances that can impact alertness. — Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 18 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for alertness

Noun

This carefulness is clearly strategic.

— Gary Sernovitz, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
There was no carefulness in it.

— Zack Meisel, New York Times, 1 May 2026

Definition of carefulness

Noun

For now, the consensus among Wall Street’s economists is less alarm than watchfulness.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026
But the book’s ruminative watchfulness is unsuccessfully conjugated in this overly sedate play with music, which has the feel of a song cycle, though sung by the fine cast with gorgeous, lonely sorrow.

— Brian Seibert, New Yorker, 19 June 2026

Definition of watchfulness

Noun

In light of the strong growth and inflation figures, the BOK would likely need to continue to raise rates, albeit with some caution, said Frederic Neumann, chief Asia economist at HSBC.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
His predictions mostly involved preaching to the AI evangelist choir, and his fervor for the tech evidently led him to throw caution to the winds of Wall Street.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of caution

Noun

In her depiction of the exhausting vigilance this reality required, through a second-person voice cannily implicating her reader, Rankine created a new language to identify a problem as old as the United States.

— Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
Mental health can change quickly, so constant vigilance is important.

— Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of vigilance

Noun

Flowers like geraniums, coleus, and lavender are easy to propagate and maintain with proper care indoors.

— Alexandra Jones, The Spruce, 30 Aug. 2026
Slate chips replace the usual bark or mulch, and layered plantings, custom window boxes and a medallion set into the rear of the fireplace show the same level of care found indoors.

— David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of care

Noun

Still, there’s a kind of hip, comfort food aspect to the entire enterprise that keeps it an easy, if slightly cluttered and overlong watch.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
In less time than that, the salesperson came back with my three watches and just gave them to me.

— Ticked Off, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of watch

Noun

Short-term rates went to 5% and change, Treasury bills paid more than investment grade corporates, and savers who had spent fifteen years being punished for prudence suddenly got paid handsomely for doing nothing.

— Jason Kirsch, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
In those conditions, United’s prudence makes financial sense.

— Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of prudence

Noun

The alerts have piled up, with cyclospora occupying much of the attention this year, as the parasitic infection gave explosive diarrhea to people in 48 states.

— Dian Zhang, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Rescuers were on high alert for more flooding from a new lake that formed high up in the Himalayan mountains after the initial floods Wednesday.

— Niranjan Shrestha, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of alert

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alerting

alertness

alerts

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“Alertness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alertness. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of alertness

noun

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