cognizant

[kog-nuh-zuhnt, kon-uh-]

adjective

1. having cognizance; aware (usually followed byof ).

   He was cognizant of the difficulty.

2. having legal cognizance or jurisdiction.

cognizant

/ ˈkɒnɪ-, ˈkɒɡnɪzənt /

adjective

1. (usually foll by of) aware; having knowledge

Other Word Forms

• noncognizant adjective
• noncognizantly adverb
• precognizant adjective
• uncognizant adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cognizant¹

First recorded in 1810–20; cogniz(ance) + -ant

Synonym Study

See conscious.

Example Sentences

I have to imagine someone in a forward-facing position like Edmond, who works as a realtor, is cognizant of that, at least on some level.

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Negrete is cognizant of the privilege that makes his departure different from that of many other immigrants.

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Unplugging autopay can also make you more cognizant of where your dollars are going, De La Rosa said.

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Now, with rates coming down, those investors are trying to lock in the relatively high returns on corporate bonds while they still have the chance, cognizant that yields could follow rates even lower.

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J. Scott Souders, an attorney representing Seller’s New Day, said in an email that Ruvalcaba reached out to his clients and was cognizant of the terms of the deal to sell her home.

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Related Words

• apprehensive 
• conscious 
• informed 
• judicious 
• knowledgeable 
• observant 

When To Use

What does cognizant mean?

To be cognizant of something is to be aware of it or have knowledge of it.Such awareness can be called cognizance.Cognizant is almost always followed by the word of and the thing that the person is cognizant of, as in He was cognizant of the report at the time. It’s often used in the phrase cognizant of the fact, as in I’m cognizant of the fact that you dislike me, but we still need to work together to get this done.Cognizant is typically used in a formal way. The adjective aware means much the same thing but is used more broadly.Example: At what point did you become cognizant of the fact that you were not receiving everything that you were promised?