knowledgeable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
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.
Rubio is knowledgeable about "the pain of the Cuban exile... because he is a product of South Florida," Bovo added.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Even the most knowledgeable fans have difficulty knowing much about the mostly anonymous high school and college players taken by the 30 teams through 20 rounds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Some of these seminars promise attractive rewards like a “guaranteed” monthly income, Finra adds, and may suggest that successful or knowledgeable people have already invested, creating pressure to follow the crowd.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
The bitterness lingers all these years later: “The less competent or the less knowledgeable or intelligent members of the Senate were the ones that sunk him,” says Mr. Meese, who seldom speaks ill of anyone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Were Alpert a plumber, he would be just as exacting and thorough and knowledgeable about the ways of the marketplace.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
