cognoscente

1 a person having a knowledgeable and fine appreciation of the arts a cognoscente of medieval painting Synonyms connoisseur, dilettanteRelated Words adept, authority, expert, maestro, master, past master, scholar, virtuoso; critic, reviewer; amateur, dabbler; collector; specialist; aficionado (also afficionado), buff, devotee, enthusiast, fanNear Antonyms groundling, lowbrow, materialist, philistine

2 a person with a high level of knowledge or skill in a field cognoscenti in the art world knew that most of the works being auctioned off were second-rate stuff Synonyms ace, adept, artist, authority, expert, connoisseur, crackerjack (also crackajack), dab [chiefly British], dab hand [chiefly British], fiend, geek, guru, hand, hotshot, maestro, master, maven (also mavin), meister, past master, proficient, scholar, shark, sharp, virtuoso, whiz, wizardRelated Words pro, professional; consultant, hired gun, specialist; addict, aficionado (also afficionado), buff, devotee, enthusiast, fan; craftsman, journeyman; all-rounder [British], jack-of-all-trades, Renaissance man; mistressNear Antonyms apprentice, beginner, neophyte, novice; dabbler, dilettante; layman, nonprofessionalAntonyms amateur, inexpert, nonexpert