Dictionary

cognizant

adjective cog·ni·zant \ˈkäg-nə-zənt\

: aware of something

Full Definition of COGNIZANT

:  knowledgeable of something especially through personal experience; also :  mindful
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Examples of COGNIZANT

  1. 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

Origin of COGNIZANT

(see cognizance)
First Known Use: 1820

Synonym Discussion of 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>.

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