Entry Word: alertness

Function: noun

Meaning: 1 a close attentiveness to avoiding danger <drove through the fog with extra alertness, as the road signs repeatedly warned of deer and moose crossings> — see caution 1
2 the act or state of being constantly attentive and responsive to signs of opportunity, activity, or danger <we observed the U.S. border patrolʼs intensified alertness for drug smugglers at the border stations> — see vigilance