What does "sentinel" mean?
A sentry, watch, or guard.
Sentinel
/ˈsɛn.tɪ.nəl/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A sentry, watch, or guard.
- Grammar: sentinel is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: sentry, argus, atlas, cassandra.
- Useful contrasts: careless, heedless, nonindicator.
- Usage evidence: On a rock which overlooked the track, showing out dark and plain against the sky, there stood a solitary sentinel.
How to use "sentinel"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sentinel" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sentinel" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sentinel" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sentinel" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sentinel" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "sentry" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sentinel", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A sentry, watch, or guard.
"They promised faithfully to bear their confinement with patience, and were very thankful that they had such good usage as to have provisions and light left them; for Friday gave them candles (such as we made ourselves) for their comfort; and they did not know but that he stood sentinel over them at the entrance."
- 2 a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event wordnet
- 3 A private soldier. obsolete
"“I will not permit the poorest centinel to be treated with injustice.”"
- 4 A unique value recognised by a computer program for processing in a special way, or marking the end of a set of data.
"The <xmp> tag is a sentinel that suspends web-page processing and displays the subsequent text literally"
- 5 A sentinel crab.
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A sign of a health risk (e.g. a disease, an adverse effect). attributive
"sentinel animals can be used to explore endemic diseases."
Verb
- 1 To watch over as a guard. transitive
"He sentineled the north wall."
- 2 To post a guard for. transitive
"He sentineled the north wall with just one man."
Proper Noun
- 1 A place in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Maricopa County, Arizona.
- 2 A place in the United States:; A ghost town in Fresno County, California.
- 3 A place in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Polk County, Missouri.
- 4 A place in the United States:; A town in Washita County, Oklahoma.
Example
"On a rock which overlooked the track, showing out dark and plain against the sky, there stood a solitary sentinel."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sentinel"?
Common synonyms include: sentry, argus, atlas, cassandra, charley, fireguard.
How do you use "sentinel" in a sentence?
On a rock which overlooked the track, showing out dark and plain against the sky, there stood a solitary sentinel.
How do you pronounce "sentinel"?
Pronounced /ˈsɛn.tɪ.nəl/.
Etymology
1570s, from Middle French sentinelle, from Old Italian sentinella (perhaps via a notion of "perceive, watch", compare Italian sentire (“to feel, hear, smell”)), from Latin sentiō (“feel, perceive by the senses”). See sense, sentient.