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

Martin tells Des how hard it is to meet somebody who has been taken in by the scam using his image, knowing they "trusted what I was doing" to put the money in - ultimately costing Des £76,000.

From BBC

“I think with this team especially, the amount of shooters we have. Obviously we have the addition of Timea Gardiner now, so just having her on the wing and knowing that I can always kick out to somebody and they’re going to be able to shoot, I think, just relieves all my pressure and makes my job 10 times easier.”

From Los Angeles Times

Maher also asked liberals to consider the fact that Trump is getting through the holidays just fine and that he "couldn't ask for a better gift" than knowing his opponents were sulking.

From Salon

There’s an urgency among Narbonne High football players knowing as soon as the 2024 season ends, the program won’t be eligible to compete in the 2025 playoffs because of City Section sanctions after using ineligible players this season.

From Los Angeles Times

“It used to be very poor. We started developing tourism and it brought lots of benefits. Like when the highways were built. We were really happy knowing we have something so valuable here.”

From BBC

Related Words

• insightful
• intelligent
• perceptive
• sophisticated