recognition

[rek-uhg-nish-uhn]

noun

1. an act of recognizing or the state of being recognized.

2. the identification of something as having been previously seen, heard, known, etc.

3. the perception of something as existing or true; realization.

4. the acknowledgment of something as valid or as entitled to consideration.

   the recognition of a claim.

5. the acknowledgment of achievement, service, merit, etc.

   Synonyms: acceptance, notice

6. the expression of this in the form of some token of appreciation.

   This promotion constitutes our recognition of her exceptional ability.

7. formal acknowledgment conveying approval or sanction.

8. acknowledgment of right to be heard or given attention.

   The chairman refused recognition to any delegate until order could be restored.

9. Psychology.,  the act or process of retrieving information previously encoded and stored in memory, when cued with the targeted information itself.

   The paper studies the effect of storytelling on English learners’ recognition of vocabulary words.

10. International Law.,  an official act by which one state acknowledges the existence of another state or government, or of belligerency or insurgency.

11. the automated conversion of information, as words or images, into a form that can be processed by a machine, especially a computer or computerized device.

12. Biochemistry.,  the responsiveness of one substance to another based on the reciprocal fit of a portion of their molecular shapes.

recognition

/ ˌrɛkəɡˈnɪʃən, rɪˈkɒɡnɪtɪv /

noun

1. the act of recognizing or fact of being recognized

2. acceptance or acknowledgment of a claim, duty, fact, truth, etc

3. a token of thanks or acknowledgment

4. formal acknowledgment of a government or of the independence of a country

5. an instance of a chairman granting a person the right to speak in a deliberative body, debate, etc

recognition

1. In diplomacy, the act by which one nation acknowledges that a foreign government is a legitimate government and exchanges diplomats with it. The withholding of recognition is a way for one government to show its disapproval of another.

Other Word Forms

• recognitional adjective
• recognitive adjective
• recognitory adjective
• prerecognition noun
• unrecognitory adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of recognition¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English recognicion, either from Old French or directly from Latin recognitiōn- (stem of recognitiō ), equivalent to recognit(us) (past participle of recognōscere; recognize ) + -iōn- -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of recognition¹

C15: from Latin recognitiō , from recognoscere to know again, from _re- + cognoscere to know, ascertain

Example Sentences

That approach reflected recognition that the U.S. military has unique capabilities for organizing expeditionary operations and answered Arab appeals for American involvement.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Curator Ina Puri notes a resurgence in India's art scene, driven by growing recognition of Indian artists and increased investment in spaces for public engagement.

Read more on BBC

But the Republican billionaire president has broader aspirations -- to revive the Abraham Accords reached during his first White House term, under which the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco offered Israel diplomatic recognition.

Read more on Barron's

Richardson “is leading FEMA’s response to every declared disaster” and “is focused on results not recognition,” McLaughlin said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

González, meanwhile, wrote on social media that the prize was "well-deserved recognition for the long struggle of a woman and of an entire people for our freedom and democracy".

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• acceptance 
• admission 
• appreciation 
• awareness 
• concession 
• perception 
• realization 
• respect 
• understanding