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alertness

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
a·lert  (-lûrt)
adj.
1. Vigilantly attentive; watchful: alert to danger; an alert bank guard. See Synonyms at aware.
2. Mentally responsive and perceptive; quick.
3. Brisk or lively in action: the bird's alert hopping from branch to branch.
n.
1. A signal that warns of attack or danger: Sirens sounded the alert for an air raid.
2. A condition or period of heightened watchfulness or preparation for action: Nuclear-armed bombers were put on alert during the crisis.
tr.v. a·lert·ed, a·lert·ing, a·lerts
To notify of approaching danger or action; warn: a flashing red light that alerted motorists to trouble ahead.
Idiom:
on the alert
Watchful and prepared for danger, emergency, or opportunity: bird watchers on the alert for a rare species.

[French alerte, from Italian all' erta, on the lookout : alla, to the, on the (from Latin ad illam, to that : ad, to; see ad- + illam, feminine accusative sing. of ille, that, the; see al-1 in Indo-European roots) + erta, lookout (from past participle of ergere, to raise, from Latin rigere; see erect).]

a·lertly adv.
a·lertness n.

Alertness
a cheerful readiness, promptitude, or willingness; briskness. — alacritous, adj.
any actions aimed at keeping people on their toes. (Coined by Nubar Gulbenkian, 1964.)
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.alertnessalertness - the process of paying close and continuous attention; "wakefulness, watchfulness, and bellicosity make a good hunter"; "vigilance is especially susceptible to fatigue"
attention - the faculty or power of mental concentration; "keeping track of all the details requires your complete attention"
jealousy - zealous vigilance; "cherish their official political freedom with fierce jealousy"-Paul Blanshard
2.alertness - a state of readiness to respond; "alerting was indicated by the desynchronization of the EEG"
arousal - a state of heightened physiological activity
3.alertness - lively attentiveness
attentiveness - the trait of being observant and paying attention

alertness
Translations
alertness [əˈlɜːtnɪs] N (= mental acuteness) → lo espabilado, lo despierto; (= vigilance) → vigilancia f
alertness [əˈlɜːrtnɪs] n
(= liveliness of mind) → vivacité f
alertness
nAufmerksamkeit f; (as character trait) → Aufgewecktheit f; (of mind)Schärfe f; (of dog)Wachsamkeit f
alertness [əˈlɜːtnɪs] nprontezza


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That feeling of alertness and of readiness for anything was still further strengthened in him by the high opinion his fellow prisoners formed of him soon after his arrival at the shed.
With that alertness of the senses which is at once the marvel and despair of civilised peoples, they knew that the pirates were on the island from the moment one of them trod on a dry stick; and in an incredibly short space of time the coyote cries began.
She showed that alertness, that swiftness of reflection comes out in men before a battle, in conflict, in the dangerous and decisive moments of life--those moments when a man shows once and for all his value, and that all his past has not been wasted but has been a preparation for these moments.
 
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