woke
v.v. aware of social and political issues, especially those involving race and justice. It is often used to describe people who care about fairness and equality.
v. alert to social injustice and discrimination, particularly concerning systemic racism and minority rights. Often carries a pejorative or ironic connotation in contemporary political discourse when used by critics of progressive ideologies.
She became more woke after reading about history.
The brand's new advertising campaign was praised by some for being woke, while others found it performative.
Shortened from woken or woken up, or derived from dialectal use of woke (past participle of wake). The sense of being aware of social injustice dates to at least the 1930s. The derogatory use has been most commonly used as of the 2020s.
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Typically used as a predicative adjective after a linking verb like 'be' or 'become'.