knowledgeable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
Knowledgeable people tell Barron’s that some large real estate investors considered bidding, but concluded that Braemar shareholders wouldn’t approve a deal that triggered the termination fee.
From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026
Knowledgeable ornithologists looking at the magpies in the credit sequence might notice that something is a bit off.
From Salon • Nov. 14, 2022
Knowledgeable observers argued a system like ours was far from feasible.
From Washington Post • Aug. 19, 2021
Knowledgeable observers, however, are skeptical that the investigations can proceed unimpeded.
From New York Times • Sep. 18, 2019
Author of "The Whale and the Grasshopper," "Duty, and Other Irish Comedies," and "The Knowledgeable Man."
From The Best Short Stories of 1917 and the Yearbook of the American Short Story by O'Brien, Edward J. (Edward Joseph Harrington)
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.
