awareness
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of awareness
Explanation
Awareness is the state of knowing something, such as the awareness that the sun comes up every morning. The adjective aware gets turned into a noun when the suffix -ness is added, so awareness is the state of being aware, or having knowledge of something. Its roots are Germanic, and come from the Old English wær meaning "wary, cautious." Awareness can be something you notice, want to tell others about, or already know. You could "raise awareness" of a cause, like fighting breast cancer. Yet, your awareness of the baby sleeping next door might prevent you from having band practice in the garage. Smart move.
Vocabulary lists containing awareness
Legend
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He named his firm Situational Awareness after the title of a lengthy essay he published in June 2024 arguing that effectively superhuman artificial intelligence could arrive as soon as 2027.
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
His Situational Awareness LP scaled its long equity book to about $5.5 billion in late 2025 from $225 million a year earlier.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026
To encourage people to share their experiences, she launched the first South Asian Baby Loss Awareness Week last year, with talks from women, GPs and charities.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and a new poll from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and Morning Consult highlights a major knowledge gap.
From Science Daily • Mar. 25, 2026
“President of the Social Awareness Club?” he says with a smile.
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
