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

They grew up knowing that this would eventually happen.

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Instead of kicking a field goal, Kafka opted to go for it, knowing that a touchdown likely would have sealed the game.

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You clearly want to own your own home, and there’s something special about knowing it’s yours and that you don’t have to move again if you don’t want to.

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"I'd gone from being an electrician, in charge of about 30 people, to suddenly not knowing my wife's name," he said.

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We walked off in front of 85,000 people knowing we had been thoroughly outplayed.

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Related Words

• insightful 
• intelligent 
• perceptive 
• sophisticated