Woke is now defined in this dictionary as “aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice),” and identified as U.S. slang. It originated in African American English and gained more widespread use beginning in 2014 as part of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Woke is an adjective derived from African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) originally meaning alertness to racial prejudice and discrimination. Beginning in the 2010s, it came to be used as slang for a broader awareness of social inequalities such as racial injustice, sexism, and denial of LGBT rights.

The definition of "woke" changes depending on who you ask. The term has recently been used by some conservatives as an umbrella term for progressive values, often using it with negative connotations. However, the term was originally coined by progressive Black Americans and used in racial justice movements in the early to mid-1900s.