| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | attentive, lively |
| Synonyms: | active, all ears, bright, cagey, careful, circumspect, clever, fast on the draw, good hands, heads up, heedful, hip, intelligent, jazzed, observant, on guard, on one's toes, on the ball, on the job, on the lookout, on the qui vive, perceptive, psyched up, quick, ready, sharp, spirited, switched on, vigilant, wary, watchful, wide-awake, wired, wise, with it |
| Antonyms: | asleep, drowsy, inattentive, lethargic, sluggish, unobservant, weary |
| Main Entry: | cautious |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | careful, guarded |
| Synonyms: | alert, all ears, cagey, calculating, chary, circumspect, considerate, discreet, forethoughtful, gingerly, hedging one's bets, heedful, judicious, keeping on one's toes, leery, on the lookout, playing it cool, playing safe, politic, provident, prudent, pussyfoot, safe, shrewd, taking it easy, taking it slow, tentative, thinking twice, vigilant, walking on eggs, wary, watchful, watching one's step, watching out, with one's eyes peeled |
| Antonyms: | careless, hasty, heedless, imprudent, incautious, rash, thoughtless, uncareful, unguarded, unobservant |
| Main Entry: | guarded |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | suspicious |
| Synonyms: | attentive, cagey, calculating, canny, careful, cautious, chary, circumspect, discreet, gingerly, leery, noncommittal, on the lookout, overcareful, overcautious, prudent, reserved, restrained, reticent, safe, vigilant, wary, watchful, with eyes peeled |
| Antonyms: | careless, incautious, unguarded, unsuspicious, unwatchful |
| Main Entry: | on the ball |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | alert |
| Synonyms: | active, all ears, attentive, bright, cagey, careful, clever, good hands, heads up, intelligent, lively, observant, on guard, on one's toes, on the job, on the lookout, on the stick, perceptive, quick, ready, sharp, spirited, vigilant, watchful, wise, with it |
| Main Entry: | politic |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | wise, tactful |
| Synonyms: | adroit, advisable, canny*, cool, delicate, diplomatic, discreet, expedient, in one's best interests, judicious, on the lookout, perspicacious, prudent, sagacious, sensible, sharp, shrewd, smooth, tactical, tuned in, urbane |
| Antonyms: | impolitic, indiscreet, injudicious, tactless, unwise |
| Main Entry: | vigilant |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | careful, watchful |
| Synonyms: | acute, agog, alert, anxious, attentive, aware, cautious, circumspect, guarded, keen, looking for, looking to, observant, on alert, on guard, on the ball, on the job, on the lookout, on the qui vive, on toes, open-eyed, sharp, sleepless, unsleeping, waiting on, wakeful, wary, wide-awake, with eyes peeled, with weather eye open |
| Antonyms: | careless, impulsive, inattentive, indiscreet, negligent |
| Main Entry: | wakeful |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | alert, restless |
| Synonyms: | alive, astir, attentive, careful, heedful, insomniac, insomnious, observant, on guard, on the alert, on the lookout, on the qui vive, sleepless, unsleeping, vigilant, waking, wary, watchful, wide-awake |
| Antonyms: | sleepy, unaware |
| Main Entry: | wary |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | careful, cautious |
| Synonyms: | alert, attentive, cagey, calculating, canny, chary, circumspect, considerate, discreet, distrustful, doubting, frugal, gingerly, guarded, handling with kid gloves, heedful, keeping on one's toes, leery, on guard, on the lookout, on the qui vive, provident, prudent, safe, saving, sly, sparing, suspicious, thinking twice, thrifty, unwasteful, vigilant, walking on eggs, watchful, watching one's step, watching out, wide-awake |
| Notes: | to be wary is to be cautious or watchful; weary means fatigued or tired |
| Antonyms: | careless, foolish, heedless, incautious, indiscreet, rash, reckless |
| Main Entry: | wide-awake |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | fully awake |
| Synonyms: | active, alert, all ears, attentive, bright, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, fast on the draw, heads up, intelligent, lively, on guard, on one's toes, on one's toes, on the ball, on the ball, on the job, on the lookout, psyched up, quick, ready, sharp, spirited, vigilant, watchful, wide-eyed, wired |