all-knowing

Meanings

1. 1adjectivenot comparablereligion

   Knowing everything, with no limit to what can be known.

   Grammar: Used before a noun or after a verb: an all-knowing God.

   Patterns

   • an all-knowing being
   • be all-knowing

   Many religions describe an all-knowing creator.

   No machine is all-knowing, however clever it is.

   The story's narrator is all-knowing and can see into every character's mind.

2. 2adjectivecomparableinformaldisapproving

   Behaving as if you know everything, which can be annoying.

   Grammar: Often critical in tone.

   Patterns

   • an all-knowing smile

   He gave an all-knowing smile and refused to explain.

   My all-knowing older cousin corrected everyone at dinner.

   She has an all-knowing tone that irritates her colleagues.

Common combinations

all-knowing God

They pray to an all-knowing God.

all-knowing narrator

The novel uses an all-knowing narrator.

all-knowing smile

He gave an all-knowing smile.

all-knowing eye

The all-knowing eye on the poster watched the crowd.

all-knowing and all-seeing

The ruler claimed to be all-knowing and all-seeing.

Synonyms and how they differ

omniscient

Omniscient is the formal and literary word for the same idea, and is common in literature and theology.

all-seeing

All-seeing stresses watching everything, not knowing it.

knowledgeable

Knowledgeable means well informed, with no sense of knowing everything.

know-it-all

Know-it-all is an informal insult for someone who acts as if they know everything.

Opposites

Word family

know verb

to have information or understanding

knowing adjective

showing that you understand something

knowledge noun

information and understanding

omniscience noun

the state of knowing everything

Commonly confused: all-knowing or all-seeing? all-knowing or all knowing?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “all-knowing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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