knowing

Meanings

1. 1adjectivebefore a noun

   Showing that you understand something private or unspoken, often with a hint of cleverness or amusement.

   Grammar: Used before a noun, especially look, smile, nod: a knowing glance.

   Patterns

   • a knowing look
   • a knowing smile

   She gave her sister a knowing look across the table.

   He answered with a knowing smile and said nothing.

   The old fisherman's knowing nod told us the weather would turn.

2. 2adjectivebefore a nounformal

   Done on purpose, with full awareness of what one is doing.

   Grammar: Often used in legal or formal contexts: a knowing violation.

   Patterns

   • knowing violation
   • knowing disregard

   The company was fined for a knowing violation of safety rules.

   Prosecutors argued that it was a knowing misstatement.

   A knowing choice to ignore the warning cost them dearly.

3. 3noununcountableliterary

   The state of being aware or of having understanding.

   Grammar: Used mostly in literary or philosophical writing: there is no knowing.

   Patterns

   • there is no knowing

   There was no knowing what the storm would do next.

   The poem is about the limits of human knowing.

   A deep knowing settled over her as she read the letter.

Word forms

Common combinations

knowing look

He gave her a knowing look when the topic changed.

knowing smile

A knowing smile crossed the teacher's face.

knowing wink

With a knowing wink, the waiter brought extra dessert.

knowing nod

The mechanic's knowing nod said the repair would be costly.

there is no knowing

There is no knowing how long the storm will last.

Synonyms and how they differ

meaningful

Meaningful describes a look that carries a message but does not suggest private understanding as strongly as knowing.

shrewd

Shrewd means sharp at judging situations, so it is about intelligence, while knowing is about shared secrets.

conscious

Conscious means aware, but knowing adds the sense of deliberate action or understanding.

worldly

Worldly describes someone with wide experience, not a single glance or smile.

Opposites

Word family

knowingly adverb

on purpose, aware of what one is doing

unknowing adjective

not aware

unknowingly adverb

without realizing

know verb

to be aware of something

knowledge noun

what a person knows

Commonly confused: knowing or knowledgeable?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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