What Does “Woke” Really Mean?

Lately, I’ve been thinking about writing a series on the term “woke.” It’s a word I hear thrown around by people on both the left and the right—but often in very different ways. And honestly, I’m not sure most of us really agree on what it even means anymore.

The more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve come to believe that woke may not be a black-and-white label. In fact, I suspect people are “woke” in different ways, depending on the issue at hand.

For example, I have a cousin who often uses woke as what sounds like a put-down. But I also know she firmly believes that Native Americans have been treated unfairly by the U.S. government and by settlers throughout history. On that topic, she sees and acknowledges injustice. In that moment, I’d say she is woke—whether or not she would ever call herself that.

That got me wondering: Is woke something that exists on a spectrum? And if so, how many of us are somewhere on it—even if we don’t use the word or shy away from it?

In this blog post, I thought I’d start with some definitions and see where that takes us.

Wikipedia

While there is no single agreed-upon definition of the term, it came to be primarily associated with ideas that involve identity and race and which are promoted by progressives, such as the notion of white privilege or slavery reparations for African Americans.

AI Overview

In slang, "woke" generally means being aware of and actively attentive to social injustices and inequalities, particularly those related to race, gender, and LGBTQ+ issues. It originated in African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and became more widely known in the 2010s, often associated with the Black Lives Matter movement. While initially used to express awareness, it has also been adopted, sometimes pejoratively, as a term for those perceived as politically liberal or left-leaning, particularly in matters of social justice.

Contemporary Use

Today, woke can refer to someone who is actively engaged in advocating for social change—or, depending on who’s saying it, to someone who is overly sensitive or politically correct.

Merriam-Webster

1. Aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues, especially of racial and social injustice.

2. Politically liberal (as in matters of racial and social justice), especially in a way that is considered extreme—used disapprovingly.

So which is it? A call to awareness and justice, or a modern insult?

Maybe in the end, we’ll find that woke has become a catch-all term, often misunderstood and sometimes misused. But maybe, just maybe, we’ll also find that we share more common ground than we think—especially when it comes to fairness, dignity, and how people ought to be treated.

Let’s see where this exploration takes us.