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aware

/əˈwɛər/

/əˈwɛə/

To be aware means to know about. If you're aware of a sled zooming towards you, move! And if you’re aware that the other kids wish they had sleds, share yours. That’s being socially aware. Well done.

Aware is a close relative of beware, "look out for." Julius Caesar is famously warned to "beware the ides of March." Too bad he's not aware of why. Beware and aware share the root ware, from an Old English word meaning "careful." Be aware of your purse at all times, and beware of the snatch-and-grab thief.

Definitions of aware
  1. adjective
    (sometimes followed by `of') having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
    “was aware of his opponent's hostility”
    “became aware of her surroundings”
    aware that he had exceeded the speed limit”
    synonyms: cognisant, cognizant
    awake
    not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
    alert, alive, awake
    mentally perceptive and responsive;"an alert mind"
    conscious
    (followed by `of') showing realization or recognition of something
    sensible
    aware intuitively or intellectually of something sensed
    witting
    aware or knowing
    conscious
    knowing and perceiving; having awareness of surroundings and sensations and thoughts
    sensible, sensitive
    able to feel or perceive
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    incognizant, unaware
    (often followed by `of') not aware
    asleep
    in a state of sleep
    oblivious, unmindful
    (followed by `to' or `of') lacking conscious awareness of
    unconscious
    (followed by `of') not knowing or perceiving
    unsuspecting
    (often followed by 'of') not knowing or expecting; not thinking likely
    unwitting
    not aware or knowing
    unconscious
    not conscious; lacking awareness and the capacity for sensory perception as if asleep or dead
    insensible
    incapable of physical sensation
    show more antonyms...
  2. adjective
    bearing in mind; attentive to
    synonyms: mindful
    careful, heedful
    cautiously attentive
    evocative, redolent, remindful, reminiscent, resonant
    serving to bring to mind
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    forgetful, mindless, unmindful
    not mindful or attentive
    amnesiac, amnesic
    suffering from a partial loss of memory
    show more antonyms...
Pronunciation
US

/əˈwɛər/

UK

/əˈwɛə/

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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘aware'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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