conversant

[ kuhn-vur-suhnt, kon-ver- ]

adjective

1. familiar by use or study (usually followed by with ):

   conversant with Spanish history.

   Synonyms: skilled, learned, versed, proficient, well-informed, practiced

2. Archaic. having regular or frequent conversation; intimately associating; acquainted.

conversant

/ kənˈvɜːsənt /

adjective

1. usually postpositiveand foll bywith experienced (in), familiar (with), or acquainted (with)

Derived Forms

• conˈversance, noun
• conˈversantly, adverb

Other Words From

• con·versance con·versan·cy noun
• con·versant·ly adverb
• noncon·versance noun
• noncon·versan·cy noun
• noncon·versant adjective
• noncon·versant·ly adverb
• uncon·versant adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of conversant¹

1250–1300; Middle English conversa ( u ) nt < Latin conversant- (stem of conversāns ), present participle of conversārī to associate with. See converse ¹, -ant

Example Sentences

Now, those machines are becoming conversant in the language of their programmers.

From Singularity Hub 

And, he says, “Boards and senior executives need to be minimally conversant in some ways about cybersecurity risk and analysis of those metrics.”

From MIT Technology Review

In Chicago, Ng became conversant in the advanced statistics that started enveloping– the game at the turn of the century.

From Time

Unions, she said, could also be tapped to conduct outreach in hard-to-reach communities, including those not conversant in English.

From Washington Post

Everyone in town is conversant with these calamities, the figures involved and the attendant risks of speaking to the police.

From Washington Post

He is as conversant with HTML and Git as with metaphor and the twists and turns of plotting.

From The Daily Beast

Now, if you are reasonably conversant in our economic debates, you already have some idea of what all this means.

From The Daily Beast

Almost all French speakers have to do a serious amount of self-study to become conversant, especially when it comes to phonetics.

From The Daily Beast

Here is one place where I wish liberals were more conversant  and comfortable speaking in religious and scriptural contexts.

From The Daily Beast

But they dug into the details, and their audiences expected them to be conversant in details.

From The Daily Beast

He will search out the hidden meanings of proverbs, and will be conversant in the secrets of parables.

From Project Gutenberg

Blessed is he that is conversant in these good things and he that layeth them up in his heart, shall be wise always.

From Project Gutenberg

He is thoroughly conversant with questions of taxation and income and the agricultural conditions.

From Project Gutenberg

Moreover, he was honest and sound in heart, and was just and impartial in reference to those facts with which he was conversant.

From Project Gutenberg

Ireland, so long conversant with misery, was still to taste the cup in all its bitterness.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• abreast
• acquainted
• knowledgeable
• practiced
• proficient
• skilled
• versed