recognition

American  

[rek-uhg-nish-uhn] / ˌrɛk əgˈnɪʃ ən /

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.

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recognition British  

/ 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

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recognition Cultural  

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.

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of recognition

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

Example Sentences

Somaliland has its own currency, passports and army, but has struggled to win international recognition.

From Barron's

It is a legitimate nation whose instability has been exploited by militias, smugglers and regional powers precisely because it lacks recognition.

From The Wall Street Journal

The big breakthrough in recycling technology has been combining vision recognition systems with pneumatic blocks.

From The Wall Street Journal

Tougher punishments are also planned for people who drive without insurance or an MOT, as well as people using "ghost" number plates which cannot be read by recognition cameras.

From BBC

Hudson returned to the realm of music with the flawed yet prestigious “Nine,” which showed off her singing chops and drew a SAG Award ensemble nomination, her highest recognition post-“Almost Famous.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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