conversant

adjective

con·​ver·​sant kən-ˈvər-sᵊnt 

 also  ˈkän-vər-sənt

1

: having knowledge or experience

—used with with

conversant with modern history

is conversant with the operating system of the computer

2

archaic : having frequent or familiar association

3

archaic : concerned, occupied

Did you know?

The adjectives conversant and conversational are related; both are descendants of Latin conversari, meaning "to associate with." Conversant dates to the Middle Ages, and an early meaning of the word was simply "having familiar association." One way to associate with others is to have a conversation with them—in other words, to talk. For a short time in the 19th century conversant could mean "relating to or suggesting conversation," but for the most part that meaning stayed with conversational while conversant went in a different direction. Today, conversant is sometimes used, especially in the United States, with the meaning "able to talk in a foreign language," as in "she is conversant in several languages," but it is more often associated with knowledge or familiarity, as in "conversant with the issues."

Synonyms

• abreast
• acquainted
• au courant
• familiar
• informed
• knowledgeable
• up
• up-to-date
• versed
• well-informed

Examples of conversant in a Sentence

She's conversant in several languages.

a world traveler who is highly conversant with the customs of foreign cultures

Recent Examples on the Web

Community-facing folks need to respond to questions on the fly and be conversant on major priorities, as well as understand the boundaries of their roles and how to handle unexpected questions or situations. —Expert Panel®, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

But how about this: According to Lindsay Jones of The Ringer, the Chiefs not only were aware of the new rules but had discussed them as early as training camp, and by this point were fully conversant with their options. —Mirjam Swanson, Orange County Register, 12 Feb. 2024

This innovation could make the process both fairer and more efficient, because asylum officers are more conversant with country conditions and their proceedings are nonadversarial, thus more conducive to the presentation of protection claims. —Muzaffar Chishti, Foreign Affairs, 23 Nov. 2021

In 2018, Ro Khanna, a Democrat Representative in California who was evidently conversant with Blackstone’s rhetoric, spoke pointedly to the Faustian bargain that workers–usually unwittingly–often make with firms like Blackstone when their savings are invested by them. —Brett Christophers, Time, 23 June 2023

Here in New York, though, Sorey’s music is heard in the company not of Rothko but of another American painter: the contemporary artist Julie Mehretu, whose dense and digitally conversant abstractions flow and swarm where Rothko’s brooded. —Jason Farago, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2022

Employers might reasonably expect entry-level workers to be conversant with AI and something like 50% more productive. —Ryan Craig, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2023

Health care chaplains are trained to become conversant to some degree in a range of beliefs, both religious and more broadly spiritual, said the study’s lead author Kelsey White, a doctoral candidate in public health at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. —Charlotte Huff, STAT, 27 Feb. 2021

There are other ways to be culturally conversant. —Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2022

Word History

Etymology

see converse entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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Kids Definition

conversant

adjective

con·​ver·​sant kən-ˈvərs-ᵊnt 

: having knowledge or experience : familiar

conversant with the issues