knowledgeable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- knowledgeability noun
- knowledgeableness noun
- knowledgeably adverb
- nonknowledgeable adjective
- quasi-knowledgeable adjective
- quasi-knowledgeably adverb
- unknowledgeable adjective
Etymology
Origin of knowledgeable
Explanation
Someone who is knowledgeable is highly educated and well versed in a particular subject. Making it your life goal to become knowledgeable about naked mole rats might not win you the Nobel Prize, but it might be fun. It’s interesting to note the shift in meaning of the adjective knowledgeable from when it was first recorded in the 1600s and now. Originally, knowledgeable was spelled without the second -e, and meant “capable of being known, recognizable.” Now, though, we use the adjective to describe that which has or displays knowledge. If you're well-read and alert, you're knowledgeable about the ways of the world.
Vocabulary lists containing knowledgeable
Words to Describe Yourself on a Resume
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Words to Describe a Teacher
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Employment, List 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Franklin was more knowledgeable about medicine than many doctors of his day.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
The fandom is far more curious, knowledgeable and friendly than most corners of the internet are today.
From Salon • Apr. 12, 2026
Halliday: Getting to watch her was truly a privilege because she is so knowledgeable, she is an encyclopedia when it comes to this world and when it comes to Gilead and these characters.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
Howell added: "Recently K-Pop seems so big internationally, I just think it's made more people, especially parents, more knowledgeable about K Pop and understand what it is."
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026
“The Soviets have arrested us because we are knowledgeable, learned people. To smoke pages of a book is just...What were you thinking?”
From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
