knowing

American  

[noh-ing] / ˈnoʊ ɪŋ /

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 British  

/ 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

Etymology

Origin of knowing

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English knawynge (earlier knowende, knawande ); equivalent to know ¹ + -ing ²

Example Sentences

The tournament was played after a long season, with players thinking about holidays and others knowing they would not be there the following year.

From BBC

Understanding how life began on Earth requires knowing how stars distribute the elements that make planets and biology possible.

From Science Daily

"It's just really nice to see that everybody there is just giving her time to talk and they're doing the right things, probably without even knowing that they're are."

From BBC

“That was the thrill for us, of knowing that when we began to tell this story, we knew we had 12 episodes to tell it inside, rather than just six,” Hiddleston says.

From Los Angeles Times

Still, there’s something almost magical about knowing you can make a meal from scraps, stretch a budget, and feed yourself well.

From Salon

Related Words

• insightful
• intelligent
• perceptive
• sophisticated