heedful

adjective

ˈhēd-fəl How to pronounce heedful (audio)
Definition of heedfulnext
as in careful
having or showing a close attentiveness to avoiding danger or trouble heedful of snakes, we watched our footing while walking through the tall grass to the lake's edge

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 heedful Her heedful eyes meet those of a young Black girl in overalls and braids on the other side of the room. — Hazlitt, 9 Aug. 2023 That’s partly because retailers have grown less heedful about developing the necessary pipelines, a problem that’s worsened in recent years as retailers saw profits crushed by a push into low-margin e-commerce. — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2023 As with recent demands to defund the police or abolish ICE amid our domestic upheavals, such calls should be heard not as literal policy prescriptions but as cries from the heart that demand heedful response. — Suzanne Nossel, WSJ, 10 Mar. 2022 Zhi-shay’ was horrified by his brother’s treatment, but also heedful of the powerful pack rules in which such cruelty is embedded. — Pamela Miller, Star Tribune, 7 Aug. 2020 McMillan initially promised to train fissile material handlers to be more heedful of plutonium-handling perils, for example, and to bring the inventory and safety documents guiding their work up to date. — R. Jeffrey Smith, Science | AAAS, 30 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heedful
  1. careful
  2. cautious
  3. wary
  4. alert
Adjective
  • Getting to that point required careful control of stress during fabrication.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Huntsinger, playing along with Variety’s should-win/will-win Emmy prediction game, drew a careful line.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of careful
Adjective
  • Florida’s Republican gubernatorial ticket is defying historic trends for a political party traditionally known for elevating white men to leadership positions — even as the GOP remains cautious about drawing attention to the shift.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Bindi, a young female wallaby, is inquisitive and extremely curious, while Wally, a young male wallaby, is more cautious and likes to look at things from afar, Borozenets said.
    — Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of cautious
Adjective
  • The decision suggests the companies believe that foreign investors remain wary of putting new money into the kingdom’s stock exchange, and will likely put off other firms planning IPOs in the short term.
    — Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Koreans are wary of methods to turn housing wealth into cash.
    — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of wary
Adjective
  • Once the plane lost radio and radar contact, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an alert notice.
    — Saleen Martin, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • For example, officials are urging Americans traveling to Israel to reconsider their plans and to remain alert as security conditions can change quickly.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of alert

Browse Nearby Words

heeded
heedful
heedfully
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Cite this Entry

“Heedful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heedful. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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