Meanings
comparative more cognizant · superlative most cognizant · alternative cognisant
- Aware; fully informed; having understanding of a fact.
The defendant is cognizant that this is a serious charge.
3 more examples
And now the memory has so far regained its dominion, that, in some measure, I am cognizant of my state.
1844, Edgar Allan Poe, “The Premature Burial”, in The Works of the Late Edgar Allan Poe, volume I, New York: J. S. Redfield, published 1850, page 336The United States was cognizant of the need to ensure that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Congress were well informed of the proliferation constraints relating to any nuclear-related exports to Taiwan.
2018, David Albright, Andrea Stricker, chapter 6, in Taiwan’s Former Nuclear Weapons Program: Nuclear Weapons On-demand, Washington, DC: Institute for Science and International Security, page 86At the same time, we were cognisant that careful scholars should never solely rely on their own impressionistic observations, and, that our own impressions were inexact and not capable of being quantified.
2019, Li Huang, James Lambert, “Another Arrow for the Quiver: A New Methodology for Multilingual Researchers”, in Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, →DOI, page 7 - Sapient; self-aware.
Is the cat truly cognizant in any real way?
1 more example
It is important to note that zombies are not cognizant life forms. As such, they cannot be deterred or reasoned with in any way. However, there are zombie-inducing forces that can be deterred form^([sic]) further action.
2011 April 30, United States Strategic Command, CONPLAN 8888-11 "COUNTER-ZOMBIE DOMINANCE" (PDF), archived from the original on 15 Mar 2023, CONPLAN PHASES
Synonyms & antonyms
adjective(sometimes followed by ‘of’) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
A new formation from cognizance + -ant; first attested in the 19th century. Compare Old French conoissant (present participle of conoistre; modern French connaissant), from Latin cognōscentem (accusative singular present participle of cōgnōscō).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مُدْرِك
- مُدْرِك (mudrik)aware
Bulgarian осведомен, наясно
- осведомен (osvedomen)aware
- наясно (najasno)aware
Catalan conscient
- conscientaware
Chinese Mandarin 認識到的 /认识到的, 察知的
- 認識到的 /认识到的 (rènshi dào de)aware
- 察知的 (cházhī de)aware
- 了解的 (liǎojiě de)aware
Czech znalý, informovaný
- znalýaware
- informovanýaware
- vědomý siaware
Dutch bewust
- bewustaware
Finnish tietoinen
- tietoinenaware
French conscient
- conscientaware
German gewahr
- gewahraware
Italian cosciente
- coscienteaware
Latin conscius
- consciusaware
Māori maurioho
- mauriohoaware
Polish świadomy
- świadomyaware
Russian осозна́вший, осведомлённый
- осозна́вший (osoznávšij)aware
- осведомлённый (osvedomljónnyj)aware
Spanish consciente, cognoscente
- conscienteaware
- cognoscenteaware
- cognoscitivoaware
Swedish medveten
- medvetenaware
Turkish haberdar, bilen
- haberdaraware
- bilenaware
Cite this entry
cognizant. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cognizant
“cognizant.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cognizant. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cognizant,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cognizant.
Source: cognizant on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.