What does vigilance mean?
Vigilance describes a sustained state of alertness, careful attention, and readiness to notice danger, error, or change. The word is especially common in contexts involving safety, security, prevention, and meticulous work: vigilant monitoring can reveal a developing fault before it causes harm, while vigilance against fraud helps protect people and institutions. In positive uses, vigilance suggests responsibility, discipline, and attentiveness; in less neutral uses, it can suggest anxiety, suspicion, or an almost excessive concern with possible threats. Although related to the idea of a watch or guard duty, vigilance is not limited to nighttime or military contexts. It is equally appropriate for describing careful attention in medicine, technology, finance, conservation, and everyday life. As an uncountable noun, it normally appears without an article when discussing this quality in general, though “a vigilance” is possible when referring to a particular instance of watchfulness.
nounThe quality of being alert, watchful, and attentive, especially to danger, error, or changing circumstances.
- Careful watchfulness and alertness, especially for danger, error, or changing circumstances.
"Constant vigilance prevented the small leak from becoming a serious failure."
"The early-warning system allows engineers to respond with greater vigilance."
"Years of daily practice had sharpened her vigilance for subtle changes in the data."
Rare in modern English; vigilance is normally treated as an uncountable noun.
"The report compared the vigilances of the day and night crews."
Vigilance comes from the Latin practice of keeping watch by night; today its remit ranges from safety checks to staying alert online.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does vigilance come from?
Vigilance comes from Latin vigilantia, meaning watchfulness, and is based on the participial stem of vigilare, “to keep watch” or “stay awake.” English borrowed the word in the early 17th century, when keeping watch, especially at night, was a prominent association. The same Latin root underlies words such as vigilant, vigil, vigilia, and vigilante.
Related word forms
How vigilance is actually used
Generally formal and often commendatory, though it can imply anxious or suspicious watchfulness. It is normally used as an uncountable noun.
Easily confused with vigilance
A vigil is a period of keeping watch, whereas vigilance is the state or quality of remaining watchful.
Vigilance means careful watchfulness, while a vigilante is a person who takes direct action in pursuit of a perceived threat.