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Synonyms

cognoscenti

American  
[kon-yuh-shen-tee, kog-nuh-] / ˌkɒn yəˈʃɛn ti, ˌkɒg nə- /

plural noun

singular

cognoscente

  1. persons who have superior knowledge and understanding of a particular field, especially in the fine arts, literature, and world of fashion.

cognoscenti British  
/ ˌkɒɡnəʊ-, ˌkɒnjəʊˈʃɛntɪ /

plural noun

  1. (sometimes singular) people with informed appreciation of a particular field, esp in the fine arts; connoisseurs

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cognoscenti

1770–80; < Italian, Latinized variant of conoscente (present participle of conoscere to know) < L. See cognition, -ent

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It was designed by Pininfarina with bodywork by Scaglietti, both names immediately recognizable to Ferrari cognoscenti.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

The curling cognoscenti reckon six wins in the nine round-robin games could be enough to earn a place in Monday's last four, and the GB duo are well on the way.

From BBC • Feb. 6, 2026

Mair, Foster Bodorff and three other local tree cognoscenti formed a semicircle around Van Pelt’s Paul Bunyanesque figure, with a bushy beard once bright red turned white.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 1, 2023

Chief among the concerns of Disneyland’s cognoscenti will be the fate of the ride’s large number of audio-animatronic critters, many of which were rescued from the 1970s-era America Sings attraction.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2023

Manhattan innkeepers often confused Everett with Ralph Kramden, a classic comic character of the Sixties still cast occasionally for the cognoscenti.

From Telempathy by Simonds, Vance

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.