Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective cognizant contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of cognizant are alive, awake, aware, conscious, and sensible. While all these words mean "having knowledge of something," cognizant implies having special or certain knowledge as from firsthand sources.

not fully cognizant of the facts

How do alive and sensible relate to one another, in the sense of cognizant?

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

alive to the thrill of danger

When would awake be a good substitute for cognizant?

The words awake and cognizant are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, awake implies that one has become alive to something and is on the alert.

a country always awake to the threat of invasion

In what contexts can aware take the place of cognizant?

The meanings of aware and cognizant largely overlap; however, aware implies vigilance in observing or alertness in drawing inferences from what one experiences.

aware of changes in climate

When might conscious be a better fit than cognizant?

Although the words conscious and cognizant have much in common, conscious implies that one is focusing one's attention on something or is even preoccupied by it.

conscious that my heart was pounding

When can sensible be used instead of cognizant?

While in some cases nearly identical to cognizant, sensible implies direct or intuitive perceiving especially of intangibles or of emotional states or qualities.

sensible of a teacher's influence

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of cognizant And the Prince, who is very cognizant of mental health issues, probably understands that. Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 9 Oct. 2025 What compelled you to want to be more cognizant of styling? Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2025 Is Oliver cognizant of those boundaries? Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 27 Sep. 2025 The Padres are also ultra-cognizant of the fact that Cease has essentially taken the ball every fifth or sixth day since becoming a full-time big-leaguer in 2021. Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cognizant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cognizant
aware
Adjective
  • Tesla has implemented autopilot and self-driving features on its vehicles that include traffic-aware cruise control, semi-autonomous navigation, response to traffic lights and the ability to summon the car from a parking space.
    Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Pregnant people may only experience mild symptoms like fever, fatigue and muscle aches, but should be aware that listeria could cause miscarriages, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of their newborn.
    NPR, NPR, 4 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cognizant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cognizant. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.

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