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.
“But there are areas where you can say no, it’s investing. You’re deeply knowledgeable, you’re taking the other side of a bet, and you think you know better than the other person.”
From Barron's • May 7, 2026
“There’s no question he’d be the most knowledgeable and committed climate advocate that’s ever held really high office in America,” climate activist and author Bill McKibben recently told Politico.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
A woman in the program, noticing that she was particularly knowledgeable, asked Israel why she wasn’t a rabbi.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026
Those budget cuts have Mirmina questioning the U.S.’s chances of winning the new space race and retaining highly knowledgeable personnel.
From Salon • Apr. 9, 2026
He was not very knowledgeable about the ANC nor was he an experienced activist, but he was respectable, and amenable to our program.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
