watchful

watchful — 形容詞

1. keeping your mind and senses focused on your surroundings so that you can quickl

1.形容詞B2
釋義

警覺；戒備

保持警醒注意，隨時應對可能的問題

keeping your mind and senses focused on your surroundings so that you can quickly spot any danger, trouble, or signs that something may go wrong.

例句

The night guard remained watchful throughout his long shift at the museum.

夜班警衛在博物館漫長的輪值期間始終保持警覺。

watchful + period of time (throughout his shift)

Brandon's watchful eyes caught the child just before she ran into the street.

Brandon 警覺的目光捕捉到正要衝到街上的一個小孩。

watchful + noun of perception (eyes) + verb of catching

同義詞
  • alert

    More immediate and active; suggests quick readiness to act, while watchful implies a calmer, longer-term state of awareness.

  • vigilant

    More formal and intense; suggests being on guard against specific danger, often used in official or security contexts.

  • observant

    Focuses on noticing details and small changes, without the same sense of preparing for possible problems.

  • wary

    Emphasises suspicion and caution, often due to past negative experience, whereas watchful is more neutral and careful.

反義詞
  • inattentive

    Not paying attention; the direct opposite of watchful attention.

  • oblivious

    Unaware of what is happening, while watchful means actively noticing.

  • careless

    Lacking the careful attention that characterises a watchful person.

用法筆記

Often paired with nouns of perception (eye, gaze, look) or used in the verb phrase keep a watchful eye on someone/something. Unlike alert, watchful describes a sustained state rather than a sudden reaction.

常見錯誤

❌Keep watchful for any suspicious activity.
✅Be watchful for any suspicious activity.
💡watchful is an adjective and cannot follow keep directly; use be watchful or the fixed phrase keep a watchful eye.
❌She was watchful the baby while he slept.
✅She was watchful over the baby while he slept.
💡watchful requires a preposition (for, of, over) when specifying what is being monitored.