cognizant

adjective

cog·ni·zant ˈkäg-nə-zənt

Synonyms of cognizant

: knowledgeable of something especially through personal experience

also : mindful

acutely cognizant of the potential dangers

… they should have been a little more cognizant of what the airport's needs would be. —Tom Gougeon, quoted in The Denver Post

: having responsibility or jurisdiction

the cognizant agency

That recommendation and a proposal to enhance services … have been forwarded to cognizant committees …—Stanley Kirschner

Synonyms of cognizant

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aware

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Choose the Right Synonym for cognizant

aware, cognizant, conscious, sensible, alive, awake mean having knowledge of something.

aware implies vigilance in observing or alertness in drawing inferences from what one experiences.

aware of changes in climate

cognizant implies having special or certain knowledge as from firsthand sources.

not fully cognizant of the facts

conscious implies that one is focusing one's attention on something or is even preoccupied by it.

conscious that my heart was pounding

sensible implies direct or intuitive perceiving especially of intangibles or of emotional states or qualities.

sensible of a teacher's influence

alive adds to sensible the implication of acute sensitivity to something.

alive to the thrill of danger

awake implies that one has become alive to something and is on the alert.

a country always awake to the threat of invasion

Examples of cognizant in a Sentence

Not like some college kid beaming in blissful ignorance, but rather like a worldly 23-year-old, self-aware and fully cognizant of the dire straits he's entering. —Jody Berger, ESPN, 14 June 1999

… the idea of a machine cognizant of that human Achilles' heel, emotion, can conjure more sinister images—like HAL, the savvy, menacing computer in "2001," whose fear that he would be unplugged led him to kill all but one of the crew members on a space mission. —Daniel Goleman, New York Times, 7 Jan. 1997

… to assure you that I am neither privy to, nor cognizant of, any such clique; and that I most potently disbelieve in the existence of any such. —Abraham Lincoln, letter, 13 Oct. 1849

He is cognizant of his duties as a father. not fully cognizant of the details of the trade agreement

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

They hone coordination and proprioception skills (the awareness of where your body is in space) as well as joint positioning (like being cognizant of how your knee is bent in a lunge, for example, and adjusting that). — Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026 The governor is also cognizant that 2% of the top taxpayers within Connecticut come from Fairfield County, which generates 40% of Connecticut’s revenue so his plan to retain and attract new top taxpayers from outside the state is a solid strategy. — Kevin McNabola, Hartford Courant, 16 Aug. 2026 But with the interest rate environment subject to change in the months ahead and only the high-yield savings account poised to respond in real time, savers will need to be cognizant of the limits of each account type. — Matt Richardson, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026 The biography, drawn from interviews with Altman as well as with more than 250 of his friends, family, and associates, casts a balanced portrait of a figure who is by turns self-effacing and cognizant of his unique place in history. — Monitor Reviewers, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cognizant

Word History

Etymology

cogniz(ance) + -ant entry 2

First Known Use

1820, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of cognizant was in 1820

See more words from the same year

Browse Nearby Words

cognizance

cognizant

cognize

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Cognizant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cognizant. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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cognizant

adjective

Synonyms of cognizant

Examples of cognizant in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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