watchful
English · Thesaurus
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watchful
- /ˈwɒt͡ʃ.fəl/ UK
- /ˈwɔt͡ʃ.fəl/ US
Where it comes from
From Middle English waccheful, equivalent to watch + -ful. Compare West Frisian waaks (“watchful”), Dutch waaks, waakzaam (“watchful”), German wachsam (“watchful”), Swedish vaksam (“watchful”).
adjective more watchful · most watchful
-
Fully observant, vigilant, or aware.
The teacher kept a watchful eye on her pupils during the school trip.
Similar: jealous
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: alert, open-eyed, vigilant, argus-eyed, wakeful, awake, sleepless, insomniac, vigilance, aware, observant, alertness, attentive, mindful, wary, careful
Translations
Talk about this word "watchful." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/watchful. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. watchful. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/watchful "watchful." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/watchful.Cite this
@misc{watchful_2026,
title = {watchful},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/watchful},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
