awareness
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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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Schooled
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Earth Day
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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.
The Boys & Girls Club Metro L.A. started increasing awareness about the Games about three years ago.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
The educator aims to raise awareness among visitors about the plight of the animals, as fewer whale sightings is just a harbinger of larger negative changes to come to the marine ecosystem.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
The Manchester rapper has been pursuing some of these tasks to raise awareness and money for the Down's Syndrome Association in honour of his younger sister Gracie, who has the condition.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
His blog, they argued, raised the public’s awareness and understanding of the high court.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Even as I said these things, I realized with a kind of horrible, seeping awareness that he was right.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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.
