Meanings
nounincognoscenti pl (plural only)
- pluralplural onlyIgnorant or uncultured people.
Some incognoscenti grumped when they couldn't find the word in their dictionaries, but there it is in the with-it fourth American Heritage: A word or phrase created because an existing term that was once used alone needs to be distinguished from a term referring to a new development...
2007 November 18, William Safire, “Retronymy”, in New York Times
Origin
As an opposite to cognoscenti.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
incognoscenti. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/incognoscenti
MLA
“incognoscenti.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/incognoscenti. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “incognoscenti,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/incognoscenti.
Source: incognoscenti on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.