WAKEFUL Synonyms: 34 Similar and Opposite Words

wakeful

adjective

ˈwāk-fəl

Definition of wakeful

as in awake

not sleeping or able to sleep the mother remained wakeful until her child returned home

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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 wakeful In a previous university blog post, Majumdar compared this finding to the brain flushing out byproducts that build up during active, wakeful moments, allowing for a more restful night’s sleep. — Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 9 Sep. 2026 Low to medium doses show a reduction in the alpha frequency of brain waves (which correspond to relaxed and wakeful states), along with rising entropy, a signature finding of sober brains sinking deeper into a trip. — Oshan Jarow, Vox, 4 Nov. 2024 Having the right pillow can make a big difference between a peaceful night’s sleep and a restless, wakeful one. — Casey Clark, Peoplemag, 9 Sep. 2024 Even in these moments of wakeful rest, your brain continues to rehearse and replay the past. — Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 21 May 2024 That wakeful process is an essential part of creating a permanent memory. — Linda Carroll, NBC News, 29 Mar. 2024

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wakeful

awake

Adjective

The idea, to hear Chatten tell it, was to shake their listeners awake with a catastrophic warning.

— Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2026
That could mean recognizing the same conflict happening repeatedly with a co-worker, lying awake each night with racing thoughts, or turning to food or cigarettes during periods of stress, according to Resnick.

— Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of awake

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wake

wakeful

wakefulness

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“Wakeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wakeful. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of wakeful

adjective

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