Aware

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /əˈwɛə(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. conscious of something or having knowledge about a situation
2. Having recognition or understanding of particular information or circumstances
3. Being perceptive of or familiar with facts or events

Etymology: Old English speakers had a word for this: "ġewær," meaning cautious or on guard, and its core sense was watchfulness rather than knowledge. Someone who was "gewær" was alert to what was happening around them, so the modern sense of simply knowing something grew out of that practical attentiveness. The word traces back through Proto-Germanic "waraz," which carried the same idea of heeding and watching out, to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning to attend to or watch out for. Its family is still visible across northern Europe. Dutch "gewaar," German "gewahr," and Swedish and Danish "var" all keep the sense of noticing or being mindful, and German "gewahr werden" still means to notice or become aware. English kept the prefixed form for centuries under spellings like "iwar" and "ywar" before settling on "aware."

Synonyms: conscious, cognizant, mindful, alert, attentive

Antonyms: unaware, ignorant, oblivious, insensible, unconscious