conversance

Meanings

1. 1noununcountableformal

   A good working knowledge of a subject or skill, especially one gained through experience.

   Grammar: Uncountable; it is often followed by with: conversance with a language.

   Patterns

   • conversance with something

   Her conversance with local law made her a valuable adviser.

   The job requires conversance with at least two programming languages.

   His conversance with the history of the region impressed the interviewers.

2. 2noununcountableformal

   The state of being familiar with a person, place, or custom through regular contact.

   Grammar: Uncountable and usually followed by with: conversance with local customs.

   Patterns

   • conversance with someone
   • conversance with something

   Years of travel gave him a quiet conversance with many cultures.

   Her conversance with the family meant she knew exactly what to say.

Common combinations

conversance with a subject

The course assumes some conversance with basic statistics.

deep conversance

A deep conversance with the text is needed to teach it well.

demonstrate conversance

Candidates must demonstrate conversance with safety rules.

gain conversance

She gained conversance with the software over the summer.

Synonyms and how they differ

familiarity

The everyday word; use it instead of conversance in normal conversation.

knowledge

Broader and more common; conversance suggests practical, working knowledge rather than deep study.

proficiency

Focuses on skill and ability, while conversance focuses on knowing about something.

Opposites

Word family

conversant adjective

Knowing about a subject; usually followed by with.

Commonly confused: conversance or conversation? conversance or conversance?

Practice

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

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