knowing

[ noh-ing ]

adjective

1. affecting, implying, or deliberately revealing shrewd knowledge of secret or private information:

   a knowing glance.

   Synonyms: perceptive, eloquent, significant, meaningful

2. that knows; know; having knowledge or information; intelligent.
3. shrewd, sharp, or astute.
4. conscious; intentional; deliberate.

knowing

/ ˈnəʊɪŋ /

adjective

1. suggesting secret information or knowledge
2. wise, shrewd, or clever
3. deliberate; intentional

noun

1. there is no knowing
   one cannot tell

Derived Forms

• ˈknowingly, adverb
• ˈknowingness, noun

Other Words From

• knowing·ly adverb
• knowing·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of knowing¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English knawynge (earlier knowende, knawande ); equivalent to know ¹ + -ing ²

Example Sentences

“Even if it’s biometric data or health data, a lot of the companies are just sharing that data without you knowing, and that is causing a lot of anxiety and questions.”

From Los Angeles Times

Though there are flourishes of new material, disciples of composer Stephen Schwartz’s songs can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the changes are minor but welcome.

From Salon

They will go in knowing next to nothing and will be staffed with cranks and scammers who know even less.

From Salon

By knowing the PSF of a microscopic system you can calculate out the blur to end up with an image that resembles the truth much better than the unprocessed recorded image.

From Science Daily

This could not have happened without people knowing about it, and he used his position of power and influence.”

From BBC

Related Words

• insightful
• intelligent
• perceptive
• sophisticated