Alert — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun verb /ə-ˈlərt/

Meaning & Definition of Alert

Alert (adjective)

  1. watchful and prompt to meet danger or emergency
  2. quick to perceive and act
  3. active, brisk

Alert (noun)

  1. a state of careful watching and readiness especially for danger or opportunity
  2. an alarm or other signal of danger
  3. an urgent notice

Alert (verb)

  1. to call (someone) to a state of readiness, warn
  2. to make (someone) aware of something

Alert (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. the act or an instance of telling beforehand of danger or risk

    "the white flash of the doe's raised tail, giving the danger alert to her fawns"

    similar: admonishment, admonition, alarm, caution, forewarning, heads-up, notice, warning
    related: auguring, augury, forecasting, foretelling, predicting, prediction, premonition, presaging, prognosticating, prophecy, prophesying, apprising, informing, notification, notifying, tip-off, advice, counsel, guidance, recommendation, suggestion, tip, announcement, declaration

  2. the state of being constantly attentive and responsive to signs of opportunity, activity, or danger

    "the doctor told the patient to be on the alert for any signs of infection"

    similar: alertness, attentiveness, qui vive, red alert, vigilance, watch, watchfulness
    related: aliveness, awareness, consciousness, mindfulness, receptiveness, receptivity, sensitivity, care, carefulness, cautiousness, chariness, heedfulness, wariness, preparation, readiness
    near: absentmindedness, abstraction, daydreaming, daze, distraction, absorption, engrossment, obliviousness, preoccupation, unawareness, unconsciousness, carelessness, heedlessness, inattention, inattentiveness, inobservance, unwariness

Alert (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to give notice to beforehand especially of danger or risk

    "alerted us to the possibility that the roads would be flooded and we might have to take a detour"

    similar: advise, caution, forewarn, wake, warn
    related: augur, forecast, foretell, harbinger, predict, presage, prognosticate, prophesy, apprise, inform, notify, tip (off), admonish, bode, forebode, foreshadow, foretoken, portend
    near: imperil, risk

Alert (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. paying close attention usually for the purpose of anticipating approaching danger or opportunity

    "she needed to stay alert throughout the train ride so as not to miss her stop"

    similar: Argus-eyed, attentive, awake, observant, open-eyed, tenty (Scottish), vigilant, watchful, wide-awake, on guard, on one's toes, on the alert, on the ball, on the qui vive, on tiptoe
    related: alive, aware, conscious, sensitive, cognizant, heedful, keen, mindful, observing, regardful, sharp, sharp-eyed, hyperalert, hypervigilant, sleepless, wakeful, careful, cautious, chary, wary, prepared, ready
    opposite: asleep
    near: absent, absentminded, absorbed, abstracted, daydreaming, dazed, distracted, dreaming, dreamy, engrossed, faraway, insensible, oblivious, preoccupied, sleeping, unaware, unconscious, unknowing, unwitting, careless, heedless, inattentive, unheeding, unmindful, unthinking, unwary, unprepared, unready

  2. having or showing a close attentiveness to avoiding danger or trouble

    "warned us to be alert to the presence of pickpockets on the crowded bus"

    similar: careful, cautious, chary, circumspect, conservative, considerate, gingerly, guarded, heedful, safe, wary
    related: advertent, attentive, awake, observant, regardful, vigilant, watchful, hypercautious, foresighted, foresightful, forethoughtful, provident, thoughtful, cagey, calculating, canny, shrewd, deliberate, slow, ultracareful, ultracautious
    opposite: careless, heedless, incautious, unguarded, unmindful, unsafe, unwary
    near: bold, brash, impetuous, rash, reckless, venturesome, asleep, inattentive, regardless, inconsiderate, thoughtless, lax, neglectful, negligent, remiss, imprudent, indiscreet, injudicious, absentminded, forgetful, inadvertent, unintentional, unplanned

  3. having or showing quickness of mind

    "an alert and well-trained sheep dog who can handle difficult situations"

    similar: brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, exceptional, fast, hyperintelligent, intelligent, keen, nimble, quick, quick-witted, sharp, sharp-witted, smart, supersmart, ultrasmart
    related: apt, ingenious, resourceful, acute, astute, discerning, heady, insightful, knowing, perceptive, percipient, perspicacious, sagacious, sapient, savvy, wise, cerebral, erudite, genial, highbrow, knowledgeable, learned, literate, scholarly, well-read, educated, informed, schooled, skilled, trained, creative, inventive, judicious, prudent, sage, sane, sensible, sound, crafty, cunning, foxy, shrewd, wily, logical, rational, reasonable
    opposite: airheaded, birdbrained, boneheaded, brain-dead, brainless, bubbleheaded, chuckleheaded, dense, dim, dim-witted, doltish, dopey, dorky (slang), dull, dumb, dunderheaded, empty-headed, fatuous, gormless (chiefly British), half-witted, knuckleheaded, lamebrain, lunkheaded, mindless, obtuse, opaque, pinheaded, senseless, simple, slow, slow-witted, soft, softheaded, stupid, thick, thickheaded, thick-witted, unbrilliant, unintelligent, unsmart, vacuous, weak-minded, witless
    near: feebleminded, simpleminded, boobish, foolish, half-baked, idiotic, imbecile, moronic, silly, ignorant, illiterate, lowbrow, nonintellectual, unacademic, uneducated, uninformed, unintellectual, untaught, unthinking, absurd, asinine, balmy, cockeyed, crackpot, crazy, cuckoo, daffy, daft, dippy, dotty, featherheaded, fool, harebrained, insane, kooky, loony, mad, nonsensical, nutty, preposterous, sappy, screwball, tomfool, unwise, wacky, zany

  4. having or showing the ability to respond without delay or hesitation

    "an alert force of commandos, ready to go on a mission at a moment's notice"

    similar: alacritous, expeditious, prompt, quick, ready, willing
    related: receptive, responsive, immediate, instant, instantaneous, summary, breakneck, breathless, brisk, fast, fleet, fleet-footed, hit-and-run, lightning, rapid, rapid-fire, rattling, snappy, speedy, swift, whirlwind, eager, keen, sharp, apt, clever, quick-witted, ready-witted, sharp-witted, smart
    near: unresponsive, crawling, creeping, dallying, dawdling, dilatory, dillydallying, dragging, laggard, lagging, lazy, lazyish, leisurely, logy, poking, poky, slothful, slow, slowish, sluggish, tardy, unhurried, dormant, idle, inactive, inert

Related Entry: Red alert (noun)

Red alert is a different word from Alert. The synonyms below are for red alert, not for alert.

  1. the state of being constantly attentive and responsive to signs of opportunity, activity, or danger

    "the paparazzi were on red alert for sightings of the hot new Hollywood couple"

    similar: alert, alertness, attentiveness, qui vive, vigilance, watch, watchfulness
    related: aliveness, awareness, consciousness, mindfulness, receptiveness, receptivity, sensitivity, care, carefulness, cautiousness, chariness, heedfulness, wariness, preparation, readiness
    near: absentmindedness, abstraction, daydreaming, daze, distraction, absorption, engrossment, obliviousness, preoccupation, unawareness, unconsciousness, carelessness, heedlessness, inattention, inattentiveness, inobservance, unwariness

Related Entry: On the alert (phrase)

On the alert is a different word from Alert. The synonyms below are for on the alert, not for alert.

  1. paying close attention usually for the purpose of anticipating approaching danger or opportunity

    "Residents were warned to stay on the alert for changes in the storm's projected path."

    similar: alert, Argus-eyed, attentive, awake, observant, open-eyed, tenty (Scottish), vigilant, watchful, wide-awake, on guard, on one's toes, on the ball, on the qui vive, on tiptoe
    related: alive, aware, conscious, sensitive, cognizant, heedful, keen, mindful, observing, regardful, sharp, sharp-eyed, hyperalert, hypervigilant, sleepless, wakeful, careful, cautious, chary, wary, prepared, ready
    opposite: asleep
    near: absent, absentminded, absorbed, abstracted, daydreaming, dazed, distracted, dreaming, dreamy, engrossed, faraway, insensible, oblivious, preoccupied, sleeping, unaware, unconscious, unknowing, unwitting, careless, heedless, inattentive, unheeding, unmindful, unthinking, unwary, unprepared, unready

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Alert

The most common words with a similar meaning to Alert:

Scottish: tenty
admonishment, admonition, alarm, caution, forewarning, heads-up, notice, warning, alertness, attentiveness, qui vive, red alert, vigilance, watch, watchfulness, advise, forewarn, wake, warn, Argus-eyed, attentive, awake, observant, open-eyed, vigilant, watchful, wide-awake, careful, cautious, chary, circumspect, conservative, considerate, gingerly, guarded, heedful, safe, wary, brainy, bright

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Alert

Words with the opposite meaning of Alert:

asleep, careless, heedless, incautious, unguarded, unmindful, unsafe, unwary, airheaded, birdbrained, boneheaded, brain-dead, brainless, bubbleheaded, chuckleheaded, dense, dim, dim-witted, doltish, dopey, dorky, dull, dumb, dunderheaded, empty-headed, fatuous, gormless, half-witted, knuckleheaded, lamebrain

Related Words for Alert

auguring, augury, forecasting, foretelling, predicting, prediction, premonition, presaging, prognosticating, prophecy, prophesying, apprising, informing, notification, notifying, tip-off, advice, counsel, guidance, recommendation, suggestion, tip, announcement, declaration, aliveness, awareness, consciousness, mindfulness, receptiveness, receptivity

Near Antonyms of Alert

absentmindedness, abstraction, daydreaming, daze, distraction, absorption, engrossment, obliviousness, preoccupation, unawareness, unconsciousness, carelessness, heedlessness, inattention, inattentiveness, inobservance, unwariness, imperil, risk, absent, absentminded, absorbed, abstracted, dazed, distracted, dreaming, dreamy, engrossed, faraway, insensible

Word Forms of Alert

Inflections: alerted, alerting, alerts

Derived words: alertly (adverb), alertness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Alert

borrowed from French alerte, going back to Middle French a l'herte "on guard, on the watch," borrowed from Italian all'erta, originally in the collocation stare all'erta "to be on the watch," literally, "to be on the height" (with erta "height, hill, steep ascent," noun derivative from feminine of erto, past participle of ergere "to raise, elevate," going back to Vulgar Latin *ērgere, by syncope from Latin ērigere) erect:1

First known use: 1618

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Alert

Words & Phrases Containing Alert

Amber Alert, Blue Alert, on the alert, red alert, Silver Alert, spoiler alert, hyperalert

Frequently Asked Questions about Alert

What does "Alert" mean?

"Alert" means watchful and prompt to meet danger or emergency. As an an adjective, a noun and a verb, it is defined as: watchful and prompt to meet danger or emergency. It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Alert"?

Other words for "Alert" include admonishment, admonition, alarm, caution, forewarning, heads-up, notice and warning. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Alert" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Alert"?

There are 220 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Alert". Common alternatives include admonishment, admonition, alarm, caution, forewarning, heads-up, notice, warning, alertness and attentiveness.

What is the opposite of "Alert"?

Antonyms of "Alert" include asleep, careless, heedless, incautious, unguarded, unmindful, unsafe and unwary. Near antonyms include absentmindedness, abstraction, daydreaming and daze.

How do you use "Alert" in a sentence?

Examples of "Alert" in a sentence: "the white flash of the doe's raised tail, giving the danger alert to her fawns"; "the doctor told the patient to be on the alert for any signs of infection"; "alerted us to the possibility that the roads would be flooded and we might have to take a detour".

Is "Alert" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Alert" can be used as an adjective, a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Alert" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C1-level word, "Alert" is typical of Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS band 7.0–8.0, TOEFL iBT 95–113, PTE Academic 76–84, TOEIC Listening & Reading 945+. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Alert"?

"Alert" is pronounced /ə-ˈlərt/.