knowing

[noh-ing]

adjective

1. affecting, implying, or deliberately revealing shrewd knowledge of secret or private information.

   a knowing glance.

   Synonyms: perceptive, eloquent, significant, meaningful

2. that knows; know; having knowledge or information; intelligent.

3. shrewd, sharp, or astute.

4. conscious; intentional; deliberate.

knowing

/ ˈnəʊɪŋ /

adjective

1. suggesting secret information or knowledge

2. wise, shrewd, or clever

3. deliberate; intentional

noun

1. one cannot tell

Other Word Forms

• knowingly adverb
• knowingness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of knowing¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English knawynge (earlier knowende, knawande ); equivalent to know ¹ + -ing ²

Example Sentences

“Without knowing how many students are enrolled, it makes it difficult for us to do our job, to really see, are we making progress?”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"I'm sure it's very challenging... not knowing what's going to happen next."

Read more on Barron's

Without knowing the artist, it would be hard to place the paintings of Wolf Kahn.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The salon feels like a neighborhood fixture, with the owner knowing some of the customers for decades.

Read more on Salon

The site, Chemistry.com, was designed to create blind matches, with one side of the pair not knowing to whom their profile was being sent.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• insightful 
• intelligent 
• perceptive 
• sophisticated