What does watchful mean?
Word: Watchful
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Watchful means paying careful attention and ready to notice anything unusual.
Synonyms: alert, vigilant, observant, attentive
Antonyms: careless, inattentive, unobservant
Word origin: Formed in English from the noun watch; watch comes from Old English waeccan, 'to stay awake'.
How do you spell watchful?
Syllables: watch - ful
Tricky part: The suffix -ful has only one l: watchfull is the usual slip.
Watch out for: watchfull, watchfal
Memory tip: Full of watching, but the suffix sheds an l, as in careful.
Idioms and Phrases
- under the watchful eye of: while being carefully watched or guarded by Example: "The young cricketers practised under the watchful eye of their coach."
Watchful in a sentence
Example 1: The farmer stayed watchful all evening in case monkeys raided the mango trees.
Example 2: The mother cat stayed watchful while her kittens slept.
Example 3: Be watchful when you cross the busy road near the market.
Fun Fact
On ships, the day is still divided into watches, periods when one group of sailors stays awake and on duty.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
The ____ goalkeeper read the striker's trick early and saved the shot.
a) watchful
b) woeful
c) wishful
d) wasteful
Show answer
a) watchful. Wishful means hoping, wasteful means using too much and woeful means very bad; a goalkeeper who reads a trick early is watchful.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. watchful 2. vague 3. timid a. bold b. precise c. heedless
a) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
b) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
c) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
d) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
Show answer
d) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a. Watchful people are not heedless, vague answers are not precise and timid people are not bold.
Word Fusion
Choose the two parts that make a word meaning alert and quick to spot trouble:
1. whatch 2. ful 3. watch 4. fill 5. some 6. ness
a) 3 and 2
b) 3 and 4
c) 3 and 6
d) 1 and 2
Show answer
a) 3 and 2. Watch with a plain w, joined to -ful, gives watchful; whatch is a misspelling and the other endings make no word.
Sound Check
In which word is 'a' pronounced differently?
a) watchful
b) swallow
c) wander
d) catcher
Show answer
d) catcher. After w, the a of watchful, swallow and wander is the short o of hot; in catcher it is the a of cat.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which job most needs a watchful person?
a) a florist tying a bouquet
b) a singer recording a song
c) a poet writing at home
d) a lifeguard at a swimming pool
Show answer
d) a lifeguard at a swimming pool
2. A watchful shopkeeper would most likely ____.
a) fall asleep behind the counter
b) leave the shop door open all night
c) notice the moment a customer needs help
d) read a comic and ignore the customers
Show answer
c) notice the moment a customer needs help
