knowing

/ˈnoʊɪŋ/

/ˈnʌʊɪŋ/

Other forms: knowings; knowingest

Something that's knowing is sneakily wise or perceptive. A knowing smile conveys a lot of information — it implies that you know a secret or are in on some background information. Picture Mona Lisa.

A knowing glance tells its recipient that you've got them figured out or that you're aware of something they haven't shared with many people. You can use this adjective to simply mean "having knowledge" or "intentional" too, as when someone makes a knowing purchase of stolen goods. The noun version of knowing is also simple, meaning "the state of having knowledge or being aware."

Definitions of knowing

1. adjective

   alert and fully informed
   “a knowing collector of rare books”

   synonyms: knowledgeable

   informed

   having much knowledge or education
2. adjective

   evidencing the possession of inside information
   synonyms: wise, wise to

   informed

   having much knowledge or education
3. adjective

   highly educated; having extensive information or understanding
   “knowing instructors”

   synonyms: knowledgeable, learned, lettered, well-educated, well-read

   educated

   possessing an education (especially having more than average knowledge)
4. adjective

   characterized by conscious design or purpose
   “a knowing attempt to defraud”

   synonyms: intentional

   intended

   resulting from one's intentions
5. noun

   a clear and certain mental apprehension
   types:

   awareness, cognisance, cognizance, consciousness, knowingness

   the state of having knowledge of something

   incognizance

   a lack of knowledge or recognition

   know

   the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people

   cognizance, ken

   range of what one can know or understand

   farsightedness, foresight, prevision, prospicience

   seeing ahead; knowing in advance; foreseeing

   apprehension, discernment, savvy, understanding

   the cognitive condition of someone who understands

   self-awareness

   awareness of your own individuality

   feel

   an intuitive awareness

   sense

   a general conscious awareness

   comprehension

   an ability to understand the meaning or importance of something (or the knowledge acquired as a result)

   self-knowledge

   an understanding of yourself and your goals and abilities

   smattering

   a slight or superficial understanding of a subject

   appreciation, grasp, hold

   understanding of the nature or meaning or quality or magnitude of something

   grasping

   understanding with difficulty

   hindsight

   understanding the nature of an event after it has happened

   brainstorm, brainwave, insight

   the clear (and often sudden) understanding of a complex situation

   realisation, realization, recognition

   coming to understand something clearly and distinctly

   type of:

   higher cognitive process

   cognitive processes that presuppose the availability of knowledge and put it to use