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Gene93 Posted 11 years ago
Vocabulary

watchful/observant

Hello,
What is the difference between "The burglary was foiled by a watchful/observant neighbor"? I would use "observant" here, but I don't know why it sounds better to me.

Thank you
  

Top answer

I also think that 'observant' is your better choice. This indicates that the person simply happened to notice something wrong going on. 'Watchful' indicates that the neighbor was 'standing guard' - which could, of course, be the case.

— Philip

  • I also think that 'observant' is your better choice.
  • This indicates that the person simply happened to notice something wrong going on.
  • 'Watchful' indicates that the neighbor was 'standing guard' - which could, of course, be the case.
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2 Answers
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I also think that 'observant' is your better choice. This indicates that the person simply happened to notice something wrong going on. 'Watchful' indicates that the neighbor was 'standing guard' - which could, of course, be the case.
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Watchful seems to be more similar to vigilant. Anyway, I think that watchful is more often used in collocation with "eye". Under someone's watchful eye.
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