What does "woke" mean?
A person with progressive views or attitudes.
Woke
/wəʊk/ adj, noun, verb, slang
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person with progressive views or attitudes.
- Grammar: woke is listed as adj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: activists, advocates, alert, awake.
- Useful contrasts: apathetic, apathy, authentic.
- Usage evidence: Mathematics is the part of science you could continue to do if you woke up tomorrow and discovered the universe was gone.
How to use "woke"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "woke" 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 "woke" 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 "woke" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "woke" 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 "woke" is acting as adj, noun, verb, slang 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 "activists" 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 "woke", 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 person with progressive views or attitudes. countable, derogatory, often, slang
"Not to beat a dead horse, but it would appear that the wokes are in an abusive relationship with the speech policemen, given that some of their favored terms are being abruptly disallowed (like trigger warning or “preferred” pronouns)."
- 2 A progressive ideology, in particular with regards to social justice. derogatory, slang, uncountable
"Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University in London, said the war on woke kicked off as a counter to the “silent revolution” of liberal and progressive attitudes during the economic boom of the decades up to 2008."
Verb
- 1 simple past of wake form-of, past
- 2 past participle of wake colloquial, dialectal, form-of, participle, past
"[…] have woke out of dreams, mayhap in which the beloved was smiling on you, whispering love-words-oh! how sweet and fondly remembered!"
Adjective
- 1 Awake: conscious and not asleep. not-comparable, usually
- 2 Alert, aware of what is going on, or well-informed, especially of racial and other social justice issues. not-comparable, slang, usually
"Waking up is a damn sight harder than going to sleep, but we’ll stay woke up longer."
- 3 Holding progressive views or attitudes, principally with regard to social justice. broadly, derogatory, not-comparable, often, slang, usually
"But the cultural conflict between these two post-revolutionary styles — between frat guys and feminist bluestockings, Gamergaters and the diversity police, alt-right provocateurs and “woke” dudebros, the mouthbreathers who poured hate on the all-female “Ghostbusters” and the tastemakers who pretended it was good — is likely here to stay."
- 4 Promoting cancel culture, identitarianism, pontification, victim mentality, or virtue signalling. broadly, derogatory, not-comparable, slang, usually
"The famous author of Harry Potter, J K Rowling, found herself at the centre of a woke storm after liking a tweet by Maya Forstater, who lost her job in 2019 after tweeting that “male people are not women”. The reaction was immediate, with some accusing Forstater of “killing trans people with her hate” for simply expressing an opinion."
Example
"Mathematics is the part of science you could continue to do if you woke up tomorrow and discovered the universe was gone."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "woke"?
Common synonyms include: activists, advocates, alert, awake, awaken, aware.
How do you use "woke" in a sentence?
Mathematics is the part of science you could continue to do if you woke up tomorrow and discovered the universe was gone.
How do you pronounce "woke"?
Pronounced /wəʊk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Shortened from woken or woken up, or derived from dialectal use of woke (past participle of wake). The sense of being aware of social injustice dates to at least the 1930s. The derogatory use has been most commonly used as of the 2020s.
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.