wide-awake

[wahyd-uh-weyk]

adjective

1. fully awake; with the eyes wide open.

   Synonyms: unsleeping, astir, wakeful, open-eyed, awake
   Antonyms: restful, sleeping, asleep, somnolent, lethargic, drowsy, sleepy

2. alert, keen, or knowing.

   a wide-awake young woman.

   Synonyms: astute, quick, sharp, vigilant, watchful

noun

1. Also called wide-awake hat. a soft, low-crowned felt hat.

2. the sooty tern.

wide-awake

adjective

1. fully awake

2. keen, alert, or observant

noun

1. Also called: wide-awake hat. a hat with a low crown and very wide brim

Other Word Forms

• wide-awakeness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of wide awake¹

First recorded in 1810–20

Idioms and Phrases

Fully awake; also, very alert. For example, He lay there, wide awake, unable to sleep, or She was wide awake to all the possibilities. The wide in this idiom alludes to the eyes being wide open. [Early 1800s]