wakeful

[ weyk-fuhl ]

adjective

1. unable to sleep; not sleeping; indisposed to sleep:

   Excitement made the children wakeful.

   Synonyms: restless, insomniac, awake, sleepless

   Antonyms: sleeping, asleep

2. characterized by absence of sleep:

   a wakeful night.

   Antonyms: sleepful

3. watchful; alert; vigilant:

   a wakeful foe.

   Synonyms: observant, wary

wakeful

/ ˈweɪkfʊl /

adjective

1. unable or unwilling to sleep
2. sleepless
3. alert

Derived Forms

• ˈwakefulness, noun
• ˈwakefully, adverb

Other Words From

• wakeful·ly adverb
• wakeful·ness noun
• un·wakeful adjective
• un·wakeful·ly adverb
• un·wakeful·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of wakeful¹

First recorded in 1540–50; wake ¹ + -ful

Example Sentences

For the secular, hoping that someone or something will remember humanity, any wakeful and appreciative aliens will have to do.

From Singularity Hub 

Vast feelings that slide, beyond command, beneath the wakeful tending of our days.

From Nautilus

Taking time to space out—whether by showering, pulling weeds, or petting a dog—provides an opportunity for what psychologists call wakeful rest.

From Popular-Science

The boy was sleeping soundly, and little Carry lay quietly wakeful upon her mother's lap.

From Project Gutenberg

The next day, Bussy left Angers before the most wakeful bourgeois had had their breakfast.

From Project Gutenberg

On mornings when I happen to be wakeful the observations I make are not always through the tent flap.

From Project Gutenberg

When I was alone, I lay wakeful through the noisy hours, waiting for daylight.

From Project Gutenberg

I was fevered with happiness; the past and future reeled before my wakeful vision.

From Project Gutenberg