wide-awake

wide-awake — adjective

1. having shaken off all sleepiness, with the mind sharp and the body ready for act

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

having shaken off all sleepiness, with the mind sharp and the body ready for activity

Example

Sayaka was wide awake at two in the morning, worrying about tomorrow's exam.

predicative: be wide awake + time phrase

Mert drank too much strong coffee and lay wide awake until the sun came up.

Common collocations
  • lie wide awake
  • feel wide awake
  • be suddenly wide awake
Synonyms
  • awake

    simply not asleep; 'wide-awake' adds the idea of being completely free of drowsiness

  • alert

    often implies readiness to respond; 'wide-awake' focuses on the absence of sleepiness

  • wakeful

    a more formal or literary word; describes being unable to sleep rather than being refreshed

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

be wide awake

lie wide awake

feel wide awake

Usage Note

When used before a noun, 'wide-awake' usually shifts to sense 2 (SHARP AND ALERT). To describe someone simply not sleepy, place it after the verb: 'she was wide awake', not 'a wide-awake child who could not sleep'.

Common Mistakes

The wide-awake child couldn't sleep.
The child was wide awake and couldn't sleep.
When the meaning is 'not sleepy', use after the verb, not before a noun.

2. quick to notice what is happening around you and ready to act, especially when t

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

quick to notice what is happening around you and ready to act, especially when there is a chance to gain something or a risk to avoid

Example

Gabriela is a wide-awake business owner who spots new trends months before competitors.

attributive: a wide-awake + [professional role]

Matthew stayed wide-awake during the negotiation and noticed three errors in the contract.

Common collocations
  • wide-awake to [opportunities]
  • a wide-awake [person]
  • remain wide-awake
Synonyms
  • alert

    ready to notice and respond; 'wide-awake' adds the sense of actively looking for gains

  • sharp

    quick to understand; more about mental speed than watchfulness

  • vigilant

    watching carefully for danger; 'wide-awake' includes watching for opportunities too

  • astute

    good at judging situations; 'wide-awake' is more about noticing things in the moment

Antonyms
  • oblivious

    completely unaware of what is happening around you

  • unobservant

    failing to notice things that are easy to see

Grammar Patterns

wide-awake + noun

wide-awake + to + noun phrase

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1 (FULLY AWAKE): if you mean only 'not sleepy', use sense 1. Sense 2 implies actively watching for opportunities or threats.

Common Mistakes

You need to be awake for new business opportunities.
You need to be wide-awake for new business opportunities.
'Awake' only means not sleeping; 'wide-awake' means alert and watchful.

wide-awake — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Wide-awake means completely free of sleepiness, with the mind fully sharp. Awake is the neutral term — it simply means not asleep, without suggesting any particular level of alertness. Alert focuses on readiness to notice and respond to things, and can apply whether or not sleep is involved. Wakeful is a more formal word that emphasises the inability to sleep rather than the state of being refreshed and ready. Conscious means aware of your surroundings, often used in medical contexts ('the patient is conscious'). Choose wide-awake when you want to stress that someone's mind is fully clear and sharp — not merely that their eyes are open.

awake ↗alert ↗wakeful ↗conscious ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • stay wide-awake
  • remain wide-awake
  • be wide-awake

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed from 'wide' (an old use meaning 'fully' or 'completely') and 'awake'. The sense of 'fully not asleep' appeared in the early 1800s. The figurative meaning 'alert and watchful' developed by the mid-19th century. The soft felt hat got its name in the 1850s, when it became popular among people who valued practical country life. The tropical seabird, also called the sooty tern, was named for its distinctive call, which sailors thought sounded like the words 'wide awake'.

First known use

1831

1831, in the meaning defined at sense 2 Adjective