cognizable
Americanadjective
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capable of being perceived or known.
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being within the jurisdiction of a court.
adjective
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perceptible
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law susceptible to the jurisdiction of a court
Usage
What does cognizable mean? Cognizable means capable of being perceived or known. A close synonym is perceptible. The related adjective cognizant means aware of something or having knowledge of it. Such awareness can be called cognizance. In a legal context, cognizable is used in a more specific way meaning within the jurisdiction of a court. Example: At what point did you become cognizant of the fact that you were not receiving everything that you were promised?
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cognizable
First recorded in 1670–80; cogniz(ance) + -able
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.
Even if a trust member’s aesthetic dissatisfaction were a cognizable injury, the trust itself would lack standing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Joby’s court filing said Archer’s complaint was “long on innuendo, but short on factual allegations supporting cognizable legal theories.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
That case was dismissed in 2019 for a "failure to allege a cognizable legal theory"; the latest lawsuits' "natural" claims represent a different tactic.
From Salon ● May 21, 2024
“Without common interests and a shared history and socioeconomic experience, it is not a community that can give rise to a cognizable right protected by” the state constitution, the court wrote.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 1, 2023
No reality is, of course, cognizable or believable by man which does not somehow show its presence in his total experience.
From International Congress of Arts and Science, Volume I Philosophy and Metaphysics by Various
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
