ˈwächfəl also ˈwȯch- adjective
1. archaic
a. : not able or accustomed to sleep or rest : wakeful
to thee I do commend my watchful soul — Shakespeare
b. : causing sleeplessness
watchful cares — Shakespeare
c. : spent in wakefulness : sleepless
twenty watchful , weary, tedious nights — Shakespeare
2. : marked by vigilance
there was a watchful dignity in the room — J.P.Marquand
3. archaic : requiring vigilance
4. : carefully observant or attentive : full of vigilance : being on the watch
an instructed and watchful physician might well hope to cure you — Nathaniel Hawthorne
has been equally watchful to assure scope for the states upon which the Union rests — Felix Frankfurter
watchful against attack
Synonyms:
vigilant , wide-awake , alert : watchful is a general term indicating being on the lookout, often for danger, adverse developments, or opportunity
glanced aside with a watchful air, just as a hound may often be seen to take sidelong note of some suspicious object — Nathaniel Hawthorne
watchful of wind, water, and every movement of his opponents, he lost no chance to gain an inch — G.H.Genzmer
vigilant suggests unremitting, keen, often wary watchfulness
the vigilant eye of the Town Watch — American Guide Series: Massachusetts
eternally vigilant against attempts to check the expression of opinions that we loathe — O.W.Holmes †1935
wide-awake may stress keen awareness of relevant developments and situations
was wide-awake now, and practical, ready to cope with the truth, whatever it was — Kathleen Freeman
alert suggests careful watchfulness and ready promptness in apprehending danger or coping with difficulty or seizing opportunity
standing silent and alert, like a sentinel on duty, in some dark corner — J.G.Frazer
the auction conducts the sales … and is alert to expand the market outlet — American Guide Series: New Hampshire