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

The stories we tell and retell carry the same knowing.

From Salon

“He wrote about it without knowing it would be called AI,” Peck says.

From Los Angeles Times

Said Rojas: “I’m happy that he called it right there on the field. Because it was the right play with the right runner, knowing the guy was going to bunt.”

From Los Angeles Times

On record, “Anything For Love” gets a knowing wink with in-studio jibing between Lipa and her producers; here she played it straight as a lofty piano ballad for the back seats on a floating riser.

From Los Angeles Times

Despite only ever knowing a career in the works, he's now a prison officer.

From BBC

Related Words

• insightful 
• intelligent 
• perceptive 
• sophisticated