aware
adjective
Simple meaning
Having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhwehrSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
əˈwɛɹ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
sometimes followed by `of'
Having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
“Was aware of his opponent's hostility.”
Conscious or having knowledge of something; awake.
Vigilant or on one's guard against danger or difficulty.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (sometimes followed by `of') having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
Used this way, aware is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“Was aware of his opponent's hostility.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “aware of …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Nearby words
- cognisant , rarer, so it draws attention
Natural pattern: aware of …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use aware
- “Was aware of his opponent's hostility.”adjective
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
Having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception.
Having knowledge, especially of a particular subject.
Suggestive of private knowledge or understanding.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Having knowledge of.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.