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 Board members are cognizant that a huge settlement could be viewed as something of a payoff to the president to move the Skydance merger over the finish line, knowledgeable sources have said. Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2025 Tie Suggested Outcomes To The Boss’s Goals A new hire should be cognizant of the boss’s goals. Expert Panel®, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025 Image Set in Brooklyn in the summer of 2022, the action takes place in the apartment of Emmy, a playwright freshly cognizant of the danger of being too broke to afford health insurance. Laura Collins-Hughes, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025 There’s a hierarchy as far as veterans and younger guys, and guys are super cognizant of that, and respectful. Kevin Kurz, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cognizant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cognizant
aware
Adjective
  • This process is vital for learning and memory and for being conscious and aware.
    David Oliver, USA Today, 16 May 2025
  • Just be aware of the potential for Moto AI to beam your data to the cloud.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 15 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cognizant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cognizant. Accessed 22 May. 2025.

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