knowing

American  

[noh-ing] / ˈnoʊ ɪŋ /

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.

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knowing British  

/ ˈnəʊɪŋ /

adjective

1. suggesting secret information or knowledge

2. wise, shrewd, or clever

3. deliberate; intentional

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noun

1. one cannot tell

Other Word Forms

• knowingly adverb
• knowingness noun

Etymology

Origin of knowing

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

Example Sentences

The court ruled that Cox Communications can’t be held liable for knowing its users were downloading and sharing music illegally.

From The Wall Street Journal

Even knowing they must cooperate with the very people they’re competing against, as alliances form and fracture, each day grows more fraught.

From Los Angeles Times

That requires knowing more not only about the underlying loans, but also how much loss cushion the banks have given themselves and other terms of the arrangements.

From The Wall Street Journal

As shown, football is more than just data but on a non-scientific level, there remains something comforting about knowing that your team has literally put the hard yards in on the pitch.

From BBC

I couldn’t imagine how awful it would be to be in a suburb, not even knowing if you wanted your own kids with some old, weird guy.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• insightful
• intelligent
• perceptive
• sophisticated