Knowing — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun verb /ˈnō-iŋ/ know·ing

Meaning & Definition of Knowing

Knowing (adjective)

  1. having or reflecting knowledge, information, or intelligence
  2. shrewdly and keenly alert, astute
  3. indicating possession of exclusive inside knowledge or information

Knowing (noun)

  1. acquaintance, cognizance

Knowing (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. having inside information

    "exchanged a knowing look with her business partner during the sales presentation"

    similar: hip, wise, in the know
    related: alerted, aware, clued (in), forewarned, informed, prepared, ready, warned, observant, observing, sharp, sharp-eyed, alert, attentive, open-eyed, vigilant, watchful, plugged-in, with-it
    opposite: unknowing
    near: oblivious, unaware, unconscious, uninformed, unwitting, heedless, unmindful, unprepared, unready, unwary

  2. having or showing a practical cleverness or judgment

    "knowing movie producers do not invest their own money in their risky ventures"

    similar: astute, canny, clear-eyed, clear-sighted, hard-boiled, hardheaded, heady, savvy, sharp, sharp-witted, shrewd, smart
    related: artful, cagey, crafty, cunning, devious, dodgy (chiefly British), foxy, guileful, pawky (chiefly British), slick, sly, subtle, tricky, wily, discerning, insightful, perceptive, percipient, perspicacious, sagacious, sage, sapient, wise, experienced, veteran, discriminating, discriminative, agile, alert, brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, intelligent, keen, nimble, quick, quick-witted, sharp-eyed, sharp-sighted, apt, ingenious, resourceful, calculating, scheming
    opposite: unknowing
    near: artless, guileless, ingenuous, innocent, naive, exploitable, gullible, unperceptive, unwise, dense, dull, obtuse, airheaded, birdbrained, brain-dead, brainless, dim-witted, dopey, dumb, empty-headed, feebleminded, gormless (chiefly British), half-witted, knuckleheaded, lamebrain, lunkheaded, simple, slow, slow-witted, softheaded, stupid, thickheaded, thick-witted, unintelligent, weak-minded, foolish, idiotic, imbecile, moronic, silly, thoughtless, witless, ignorant, uninformed

  3. made, given, or done with full awareness of what one is doing

    "a knowing waiver of his rights"

    similar: conscious, deliberate, intended, intentional, purposeful, purposive, set, voluntary, willed, willful, witting
    related: designed, planned, advised, calculated, considered, measured, reasoned, studied, thoughtful, weighed, premeditated, premeditative, prepense, discretionary, elective, optional, volunteer
    opposite: nondeliberate, nonpurposive, unintentional
    near: inadvertent, unwitting, accidental, chance, haphazard, hit-or-miss, incidental, random, aimless, desultory, purposeless, abrupt, impetuous, sudden, coerced, forced, involuntary, compulsory, mandatory, necessary, nonelective, obligatory, ordered, required, casual, extemporaneous, impromptu, impulsive, instinctive, spontaneous, unforced, unpremeditated

  4. decided on as a result of careful thought

    "with knowing equivocation, the witness responded to the question without really answering it"

    similar: advised, calculated, considered, deliberate, measured, reasoned, studied, thought-out, thoughtful, weighed
    related: aforethought, premeditated, prepense, educated, informed, intentional, purposeful, designed, intended, planned, projected, careful, meticulous, foresighted, forethoughtful, provident, prudent
    opposite: casual, unadvised, uncalculated, unconsidered, unstudied
    near: half-cocked, ill-advised, chance, haphazard, hit-or-miss, random, aimless, desultory, purposeless, hasty, hurried, rushed, abrupt, impetuous, sudden, automatic, extemporaneous, impromptu, instinctive, spontaneous

Knowing (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to have a practical understanding of

    "a career diplomat who knows several languages"

    "a fan who really knows baseball"

    similar: comprehending, grasping, understanding
    related: appreciating, apprehending, cognizing, fathoming, following, kenning (chiefly Scottish), perceiving, savvying, having, possessing, catching on (to), picking up
    near: misapprehending, misconceiving, misinterpreting, misknowing, misperceiving, misunderstanding

  2. to come to a knowledge of (something) by living through it

    "knows full well how nerve-racking it can be to speak in public"

    similar: enduring, experiencing, feeling, having, passing, seeing, suffering, sustaining, tasting, undergoing, witnessing, going through
    related: encountering, meeting, accepting, receiving, assimilating, digesting

  3. to have a clear idea of

    "I think I know what you're trying to say"

    similar: appreciating, apprehending, assimilating, beholding, catching, catching on (to), cognizing, compassing, comprehending, conceiving, cottoning (to or on to), deciphering, decoding, digging, discerning, getting, grasping, grokking, intuiting, making, making out, perceiving, recognizing, registering, savvying, seeing, seizing, sensing, tumbling (to), twigging, understanding, picking up on
    related: absorbing, digesting, taking in, realizing, fathoming, penetrating, piercing
    opposite: missing
    near: misapprehending, misconceiving, misconstruing, misinterpreting, misperceiving, misreading, mistaking, misunderstanding

Related Entry: Know (verb)

Know is a different word from Knowing. The synonyms below are for know, not for knowing.

  1. to have a practical understanding of

    "a career diplomat who knows several languages"

    "a fan who really knows baseball"

    similar: comprehend, grasp, understand
    related: appreciate, apprehend, cognize, fathom, follow, ken (chiefly Scottish), perceive, savvy, have, possess, catch on (to), pick up
    near: misapprehend, misconceive, misinterpret, misknow, misperceive, misunderstand

  2. to come to a knowledge of (something) by living through it

    "knows full well how nerve-racking it can be to speak in public"

    similar: endure, experience, feel, have, pass, see, suffer, sustain, taste, undergo, witness, go through
    related: encounter, meet, accept, receive, assimilate, digest

  3. to have a clear idea of

    "I think I know what you're trying to say"

    similar: appreciate, apprehend, assimilate, behold, catch, catch on (to), cognize, compass, comprehend, conceive, cotton (to or on to), decipher, decode, dig, discern, get, grasp, grok, intuit, make, make out, perceive, recognize, register, savvy, see, seize, sense, tumble (to), twig, understand, pick up on
    related: absorb, digest, take in, realize, fathom, penetrate, pierce
    opposite: miss
    near: misapprehend, misconceive, misconstrue, misinterpret, misperceive, misread, mistake, misunderstand

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Knowing

The most common words with a similar meaning to Knowing:

hip, wise, astute, canny, clear-eyed, clear-sighted, hard-boiled, hardheaded, heady, savvy, sharp, sharp-witted, shrewd, smart, conscious, deliberate, intended, intentional, purposeful, purposive, set, voluntary, willed, willful, witting, advised, calculated, considered, measured, reasoned, studied, thought-out, thoughtful, weighed, in the know, comprehending, grasping, understanding, enduring, experiencing

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Knowing

Words with the opposite meaning of Knowing:

unknowing, nondeliberate, nonpurposive, unintentional, casual, unadvised, uncalculated, unconsidered, unstudied, missing

Related Words for Knowing

alerted, aware, clued (in), forewarned, informed, prepared, ready, warned, observant, observing, sharp-eyed, alert, attentive, open-eyed, vigilant, watchful, plugged-in, with-it, artful, cagey, crafty, cunning, devious, dodgy, foxy, guileful, pawky, slick, sly, subtle

Near Antonyms of Knowing

oblivious, unaware, unconscious, uninformed, unwitting, heedless, unmindful, unprepared, unready, unwary, artless, guileless, ingenuous, innocent, naive, exploitable, gullible, unperceptive, unwise, dense, dull, obtuse, airheaded, birdbrained, brain-dead, brainless, dim-witted, dopey, dumb, empty-headed

Word Forms of Knowing

Derived words: knowingly (adverb), knowingness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Knowing

First known use: 14th century

Words & Phrases Containing Knowing

self-knowing

Frequently Asked Questions about Knowing

What does "Knowing" mean?

"Knowing" means having or reflecting knowledge, information, or intelligence. As an an adjective, a noun and a verb, it is defined as: having or reflecting knowledge, information, or intelligence. It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Knowing"?

Other words for "Knowing" include hip, wise, astute, canny, clear-eyed, clear-sighted, hard-boiled and hardheaded. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Knowing" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Knowing"?

There are 170 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Knowing". Common alternatives include hip, wise, astute, canny, clear-eyed, clear-sighted, hard-boiled, hardheaded, heady and savvy.

What is the opposite of "Knowing"?

Antonyms of "Knowing" include unknowing, nondeliberate, nonpurposive, unintentional, casual, unadvised, uncalculated and unconsidered. Near antonyms include oblivious, unaware, unconscious and uninformed.

How do you use "Knowing" in a sentence?

Examples of "Knowing" in a sentence: "exchanged a knowing look with her business partner during the sales presentation"; "knowing movie producers do not invest their own money in their risky ventures"; "a knowing waiver of his rights".

Is "Knowing" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Knowing" can be used as an adjective, a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Knowing"?

"Knowing" is pronounced /ˈnō-iŋ/ and divided into syllables as know·ing.

What is the origin of the word "Knowing"?

First known use: 14th century.