cognizance

American  

[kog-nuh-zuhns, kon-uh-] / ˈkɒg nə zəns, ˈkɒn ə- /

Or cognisance

noun

1. awareness, realization, or knowledge; notice; perception.

   The guests took cognizance of the snide remark.

   Synonyms:

   scrutiny, regard, attention, heed, note

2. Law.

   1. judicial notice as taken by a court in dealing with a cause.

   2. the right of taking jurisdiction, as possessed by a court.

   3. acknowledgment; admission, as a plea admitting the fact alleged in the declaration.

3. the range or scope of knowledge, observation, etc..

   Such understanding is beyond his cognizance.

4. Heraldry. a device by which a person or a person's servants or property can be recognized; badge.

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cognizance British  

/ ˈkɒɡnɪzəns, ˈkɒnɪ- /

noun

1. knowledge; acknowledgment

2. to take notice of; acknowledge, esp officially

3. the range or scope of knowledge or perception

4. law

   1. the right of a court to hear and determine a cause or matter

   2. knowledge of certain facts upon which the court must act without requiring proof

   3. confession

5. heraldry a distinguishing badge or bearing

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Usage

What does cognizance mean? Cognizance is awareness or knowledge of something. The word cognizance is typically used in a formal way. The word awareness means the same thing but is used more broadly. The adjective form of cognizance is cognizant. To be cognizant of something is to be aware of it or have knowledge of it. Cognizant is almost always followed by the word of and the thing that the person is cognizant of, as in He was cognizant of the report at the time. It’s often used in the phrase cognizant of the fact, as in I’m cognizant of the fact that you dislike me, but we still need to work together to get this done. Cognizance is used in a more specific way in a legal context. It can refer to a court’s right to jurisdiction in a case, or to knowledge of certain facts, or, sometimes, to a confession. The related word recognizance is also used in a legal context, often referring to an obligation to appear before a court or perform some other legal action, as in He was released on his own recognizance.  Example: We need to have more cognizance of the issues that are being faced by the average citizen.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-cognizance
  noun
• noncognizance
  noun

Etymology

Origin of cognizance

1250–1300; Middle English conisa ( u ) nce < Middle French con ( o ) is ( s ) ance, equivalent to conois ( tre ) to know (< Latin cognōscere; see cognition) + -ance -ance; forms with -g- (< Latin ) from the 16th century

Explanation

When you have cognizance, you have knowledge of something. Your cognizance of the English language is growing with every new vocabulary word you learn. Just don't flaunt your cognizance too much, or your friends might call you a know-it-all. Cognizance can be used to refer to more than just school-based learning (like vocabulary words). It can also mean that you have awareness or notice certain things. Your cognizance of where the exits are located in the movie theater could save your life in a fire. The noun cognizance can also refer to your state of consciousness: "You passed out from the smoke, but when you woke up you had the cognizance to know who you were and where you were."

Example Sentences

I probably would have been involved in these liberation movements and had no cognizance at all that being nurtured in its bosom was a force of triumphal reaction.

From Salon • Jan. 25, 2021

Still, an inchoate anxiety lurked behind the mania, a fleeting cognizance that for all their demands of more, nothing could ever match this.

From New York Times • Oct. 27, 2020

“Brett Hankison did not ‘blindly’ discharge his firearm, and did not lack cognizance of the direction in which he fired, but acted in quick response to gunfire directed at himself and other officers,” Leightty wrote.

From Washington Post • Sep. 4, 2020

“Johnson wanted to reintegrate that seceded group of states without any cognizance of the fact they were fighting for the perpetuation of slavery.”

From Seattle Times • Oct. 12, 2019

“If you’ve anything to say, you can come to the squire’s and make cognizance of the prisoner.”

From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner