woke
Left slumber behind
Woke began as African American vernacular for being alert to racial injustice and systemic oppression: Stay woke.
The term spread through social justice movements to mean aware of broader inequalities.
By the late 2010s, critics adopted it dismissively for progressive politics they consider excessive or performative: woke culture, go woke, go broke.
The word now carries opposite connotations depending on who's using it.
Favoring reform and innovation
- antiracistOpposing systematic racial bias
- intersectionalConcerning interconnected social categories
- feministGender equality proponent
- inclusiveCovering all members
activist · ally · conscious · engaged · left-leaning · social justice · politically correct · PC
Feathery ice crystal
- triggeredCaused to activate
- oversensitiveExcessively prone to offense
- PCHome computer, or tactful
- virtue signalingShowy ethical posturing
cancel culture · thought police · social justice warrior · SJW · bleeding heart · preachy · holier-than-thou · sanctimonious
Mentally present and alert
- mindfulConsciously attentive
- alertWarning or watchfulness
- cognizantConscious of facts
- attentivePaying close notice
informed · perceptive · enlightened · observant · vigilant · knowledgeable · attuned · clued-in
progressive
Favoring reform and innovation
- antiracistOpposing systematic racial bias
- intersectionalConcerning interconnected social categories
- feministGender equality proponent
inclusive · activist · ally · conscious · engaged · left-leaning · social justice · politically correct · PC · sensitive
snowflake
Feathery ice crystal
- triggeredCaused to activate
- oversensitiveExcessively prone to offense
- PCHome computer, or tactful
virtue signaling · cancel culture · thought police · social justice warrior · SJW · bleeding heart · preachy · holier-than-thou · sanctimonious · performative
conscious
Mentally present and alert
attentive · informed · perceptive · enlightened · observant · vigilant · knowledgeable · attuned · clued-in · hip
alert
Warning or watchfulness
arisen · awakened · up · risen · sleepless · opened eyes · came to
- past tensewent, was, were, had, got
- "long O" wordsgo, no, so, oh, boat
- Modern Slangslang, jargon, buzzwords, neologisms, internet slang
- Neologismsselfie, blog, vlog, podcast, hashtag
- controversiescontroversy, dispute, scandal, outcry, outrage
- Internet Buzzwordsviral, trending, clickbait, influencer, algorithm
wokefell asleep
Entered unconscious rest
dozed off · nodded off · dozed · drifted off · drowsed
wokeanti-woke
Opposing progressive social movements
conservative · based · unwoke · traditional · right-wing
- woke upBecame alert after sleeping
- woken upNo longer asleep
- just woke up
- stay wokeKeep alert to injustice
- woke up on the wrong side of bedInexplicably irritable from morning
- woke up grumpy