Make Your Point > Archived Issues > COGNIZANT
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pronounce
COGNIZANT:
Say it "COG nih zunt."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
Today, as we check out the word cognizant, let's recall a very closely related word:
Something cogni____ involves thinking, knowing, learning, or using what you've learned.
Those two words in bold are closely related. And it's a shame that they're technically unrelated to the word cog, as in "little gear, little wheel with teeth." It just makes so much sense to think of cogs churning away in your mind while you're cognizant (aware) of things, and while you're working on cogni____ (mental) tasks.
Alas, though, cog pretty much just means "tooth" and traces back to Swedish, possibly, while the other two trace back to the Latin cognoscere, meaning "to recognize, or to get to know."
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
The words "cognizance" and "cognizant" have Latin roots that mean "knowing together."
When you have cognizance of something, you have an awareness of it or an understanding of it.
And when you're cognizant of something, that's the same thing: you're aware of it, or you have an understanding of it. In other words, to be cognizant of something is to know what it is, or to know that it's there, and to keep it in your mind as you make plans, make choices, take actions, etc.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Adjective: "We should be cognizant of this fact;" "They aren't even cognizant of this problem;" "Teachers must remain cognizant of students' anxiety about taking tests."
Other forms:
The only other common one is "cognizance."
You might say that something is "cognizable," meaning it's able to be known, or able to be understood. But that's such a weird and rare word; I recommend saying, instead, that something is "comprehensible" or "recognizable."
how to use it:
Most of the time, we don't need the word "cognizant" because we can just use the word "aware." "Cognizant" means the same thing as "aware" but is much more formal and about 23 times rarer. So, pick "cognizant" when you need to be especially formal and emphatic.
Say that someone (or some group of people) is cognizant of something. We talk about people being cognizant of facts, needs, rules, issues, problems, expectations, outcomes, relationships, etc.
Occasionally, instead of saying "cognizant of something," we might say "cognizant that something is true." Here's the New York Times: "He is cognizant that the frenetic pace of work might not last."
examples:
"Be cognizant of what is motivating you to buy those items and consider forgoing a purchase from time to time."
— Nicole Anzia, Washington Post, 14 January 2019
"...An improved chalk cup or holder for billiard tables, which is so constructed that it will not become loose, sag down, mar the table, or jar when the ball strikes the cushion...The device is very simple, and its advantages will be evident to all billiard players cognizant of the defects of the ordinary cup."
— H. W. Collender, Scientific American, 1977
has this page helped you understand "cognizant"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "cognizant" without saying "well aware" or "conscious of."
try it out:
Graham Brookie spoke to the Washington Post about how to stop the spread of misinformation:
"Our minds are wired to make shortcuts, to find information that we already think is true. Being cognizant of it is half the battle."
In other words, if the goal is to stop spreading misinformation, then the first step is to stop believing it so readily: to stay cognizant of the fact that the human brain is auto-set to believe what it wants to believe.
Talk about some other goal that you find especially important. To accomplish this goal, what do we need to stay cognizant of? You might use this pattern: "If the goal is to _____, then the first step is to stay cognizant of _____."
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game this month is Everyday Etymologies!
If you're in the habit of looking up the etymologies of everyday words (wait, you aren't?), then you find, occasionally, certain ones that strike you as particularly apt, cute, strange, or poetic. I'd like to share some of those finds with you this month. In each issue, I'll give you the etymology of an everyday word, and you supply the word. We'll start easy and move into some tougher ones as the month goes on, but every answer will be an everyday kind of word, one you've been familiar with since, say, adolescence at least. To see the answer, scroll to the bottom of the issue.
Try this one today: This three-syllable noun from Spanish literally means "little cake."
review this word:
A. MIRED (stuck, trapped).
B. RIFE (very filled, abundant).
C. OBLIVIOUS (naive, ignorant).
2. Stephen Hennessey told Golf Digest: "An announcer needs to be observant first; able to contextualize things second; and perhaps most importantly... cognizant _____."
A. in the flow of information
B. of when to not talk too much
C. to both the players and the audience
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
Today, as we check out the word cognizant, let's recall a very closely related word:
The words "cognizance" and "cognizant" have Latin roots that mean "knowing together."
Part of speech:
Most of the time, we don't need the word "cognizant" because we can just use the word "aware." "Cognizant" means the same thing as "aware" but is much more formal and about 23 times rarer. So, pick "cognizant" when you need to be especially formal and emphatic.
"Be cognizant of what is motivating you to buy those items and consider forgoing a purchase from time to time."
Explain the meaning of "cognizant" without saying "well aware" or "conscious of."
Graham Brookie spoke to the Washington Post about how to stop the spread of misinformation:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
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