Meanings
alert1
adjectivealert (comparative more alert, superlative most alert)
comparative more alert · superlative most alert
- obsoletebrisk; nimble; moving with celerity.
I saw an alert young fellow that cocked his hat upon a friend of his who entered just at the same time with myself
1712 June 22 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “WEDNESDAY, June 12, 1712”, in The Spectator, number 408; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume V, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC
nounalert (plural alerts)
plural alerts
- An alarm.
- A notification of higher importance than an advisory.
alert2
verbalert (third-person singular simple present alerts, present participle alerting, simple past and past participle alerted)
present singular third person alerts · participle present alerting · participle past alerted · past alerted
- To give warning to.
Alert3
proper noun
- A community in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada; the northernmost permanently inhabited place in the world.
- An alternative name for Alharod, a village in Varzaqan County, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran.
- An unincorporated community in Jackson Township, Decatur County, Indiana, United States.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveAttentive; awake; on guard.
Similar
nounSynonym of bell (“bell character”).
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveengaged in or accustomed to close observation
Opposite
nouncondition of heightened watchfulness or preparation for action
Similar
nounan automatic signal (usually a sound) warning of danger
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
alert · adjective, noun
- Italianall'erta“to the height”
- Frenchalerte“alert”
- Englishalert
From French alerte (“alert”), from the phrase à l'erte (“on the watch”), from Italian all'erta (“to the height”), from erta (“lookout, tower”).
More words from French, Italian
Full word history & related roots →alert · verb
Formed within English by conversion, from alert (adjective). Compare French alerter.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic يَقِظ
- يَقِظ (yaqiẓ)attentive
Bengali সতর্ক
- সতর্ক (śotork)attentive
Bulgarian бдителен, внимателен
- бдителен (bditelen)attentive
- внимателен (vnimatelen)attentive
- тревога (trevoga)an alarm
Catalan vigilant, alerta
- vigilantattentive
- alertaan alarm
- alertarto give warning to
Chinese Mandarin 警惕, 警報 /警报
- 警惕 (jǐngtì)attentive
- 警報 /警报 (jǐngbào)an alarm
- 警告 (jǐnggào)to give warning to
Czech výstraha, poplach
- výstrahaan alarm
- poplachan alarm
- upozorněnía notification
Dutch alert, waakzaam
- alertattentive
- waakzaamattentive
- alarman alarm
- waarschuwinga notification
- waarschuwento give warning to
- alarmerento give warning to
Esperanto vigla, mallaca
- viglaattentive
- mallacaattentive
- alarmoan alarm
- avertoan alarm
- sciigoa notification
- pepoa notification
- alarmito give warning to
Estonian häire
- häirean alarm
Finnish virkeä, pirteä
- virkeäattentive
- pirteäattentive
- valpasattentive
- hälytysan alarm
- herätysan alarm
- varoitusa notification
- ilmoitusa notification
- varoittaato give warning to
- hälyttääto give warning to
French alerte, alarme
- alerteattentive
- alarmean alarm
German aufmerksam, wachsam
- aufmerksamattentive
- wachsamattentive
- Alarman alarm
- verständigento give warning to
Hebrew עֵרָנִי, דָּרוּךְ
- עֵרָנִי (eraní)attentive
- דָּרוּךְ (darúkh)attentive
- אַזְעָקָה (az'aká)an alarm
- הַתְרָעָה (hatra'á)an alarm
- הַתְרָעָה (hatra'á)a notification
- כּוֹנְנוּת (konenút)a notification
- הִזְהִיר (hizhír)to give warning to
- הִתְרִיעַ (hitría')to give warning to
Hindi सतर्क, सजग
- सतर्क (satark)attentive
- सजग (sajag)attentive
- चेतावनी (cetāvnī)an alarm
- चेतावनी (cetāvnī)a notification
- चेतावनी (cetāvnī)to give warning to
Hungarian riadó
- riadóan alarm
Icelandic viðvörun
- viðvörunan alarm
Indonesian pemberitahuan, lansiran
- pemberitahuana notification
- lansirana notification
Irish airdeallach, beo-intinneach
- airdeallachattentive
- beo-intinneachattentive
- biorbachattentive
- braiteachattentive
- fuireachairattentive
Italian allerta, attento
- allertaattentive
- attentoattentive
- vigileattentive
- vigilanteattentive
- allarmean alarm
Japanese 機敏な, 警戒する
- 機敏な (kibin na)attentive
- 警戒する (keikai suru)attentive
- 警告 (keikoku)an alarm
- 警報 (keihō)an alarm
Korean 기민하다, 경계하다
- 기민하다 (giminhada)attentive
- 경계하다 (gyeonggyehada)attentive
Latin intentus, vigilans
- intentusattentive
- vigilansattentive
Latvian modrs, trauksme
- modrsattentive
- trauksmean alarm
Māori matawhiuwhiu, hiwa
- matawhiuwhiuattentive
- hiwaattentive
- mataaraattentive
- ohitiattentive
- ohituattentive
- matatūattentive
- tauwhiroattentive
Norwegian oppmerksom, våken
- oppmerksomattentive
- våkenattentive
- alarman alarm
- advarsela notification
- varsela notification
- varsleto give warning to
Polish czujny, uważny
- czujnyattentive
- uważnyattentive
- alarman alarm
- alertan alarm
- powiadomieniea notification
- alerta notification
Portuguese alerta, alerta
- alertaattentive
- alertaan alarm
- alarmean alarm
- alertaa notification
- alertarto give warning to
Romanian alertă
- alertăan alarm
Russian бди́тельный, внима́тельный
- бди́тельный (bdítelʹnyj)attentive
- внима́тельный (vnimátelʹnyj)attentive
- насторо́женный (nastoróžennyj)attentive
- трево́га (trevóga)an alarm
- сигнализа́ция (signalizácija)an alarm
- предупрежде́ние (predupreždénije)a notification
- оповеще́ние (opoveščénije)a notification
- сообще́ние (soobščénije)a notification
- предупреждать (predupreždatʹ)to give warning to
- оповещать (opoveščatʹ)to give warning to
- сигнализировать (signalizirovatʹ)to give warning to
- тревожить (trevožitʹ)to give warning to
Scottish Gaelic grad
- gradattentive
Slovak poplach
- poplachattentive
Spanish alerta, vigilante
- alertaattentive
- vigilanteattentive
- alertoattentive
- alertaan alarm
- alertarto give warning to
Swahili chonjo, tahadhari
- chonjoattentive
- tahadhariattentive
- chonjoa notification
- chonjoto give warning to
Swedish alert, vaken
- alertattentive
- vakenattentive
- larman alarm
Turkish uyanık
- uyanıkattentive
Ukrainian насторо́жений, ува́жний
- насторо́жений (nastoróženyj)attentive
- ува́жний (uvážnyj)attentive
- триво́га (tryvóha)an alarm
- спові́щення (spovíščennja)a notification
- попере́дження (poperédžennja)a notification
Urdu سترک
- سترک (satark)attentive
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with alert
shirtexpertconcertinsertconvertdeserthurtdirtadvertKurtdessertassertBertBurtflirtrevertcurtexertvertdivertbirtinertwortovert
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
alert. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alert
MLA
“alert.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alert. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “alert,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alert.
Source: alert on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.