aware

Meanings

1. Knowing that something exists or is happening.
2. Interested in and informed about a subject.

Example sentences

• "I am aware of the problem."

  Level B1, Meaning 1

• "Are you aware that the shop closes at six?"

  Level B1, Meaning 1

• "Young people today are very aware of climate change."

  Level B2, Meaning 2

• "She became aware that someone was following her."

  Level B2, Meaning 1

Synonyms and antonyms

Look-alikes and common mistakes

• conscious : Conscious also means awake and able to think. Aware stresses that you know about a particular fact or thing.

Word family and forms

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "aware".

• aware of
• well aware
• become aware
• fully aware
• be aware that
• environmentally aware

Origin

Aware comes from Old English gewaer, which meant watchful or careful. It belongs to a very old family of words about watching out, which also gave English wary and beware.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Dictionary.com.

Usage notes

"Aware" is almost always followed by "of," as in "aware of the risks."

How to remember it

Aware, beware, wary: they all share the "war" sound of watching out. To be aware is to be on watch.

Test yourself

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