cognizance

3 antonyms for cognizance — opposites grouped by meaning.

Noun — Knowledge or awareness of something, especially official or conscious awareness of it.

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

Knowledge or awareness of something, especially official or conscious awareness of it.

“The complaint never came to the cognizance of senior management.”

awareness knowledge notice perception recognition cognisance consciousness ken knowingness

Opposites

ignorance unawareness incognizance

2. noun law

The authority of a court to hear and decide a particular case; the range of matters a court may deal with.

“Fraud of this scale falls within the cognizance of the federal courts.”

jurisdiction competence purview

3. noun heraldry

An emblem or badge worn to show which lord or household a person belongs to.

“Each retainer wore the earl's cognizance on his sleeve.”

badge device emblem crest

Antonyms

ignorance unawareness incognizance

How to use cognizance

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

take cognizance of come to the cognizance of within the cognizance of the court judicial cognizance

Formal. Outside of law, it appears mostly in the fixed phrase 'take cognizance of'.

Etymology

From Old French conoissance 'knowledge, acquaintance', from conoistre, which comes from Latin cognoscere 'to get to know'. English later restored the g in spelling to reflect the Latin root.

Full origin of cognizance →

Frequently asked questions

What does 'take cognizance of' mean?

It means to formally notice something and treat it as relevant, rather than merely knowing about it. A court that takes cognizance of a case accepts it for consideration, and an official who takes cognizance of a complaint puts it on the record.

What is the difference between cognizance and cognisant?

Cognizance is the noun and cognisant is the adjective describing the person. You have cognizance of a fact, and that makes you cognisant of it.

Is it cognizance or cognisance?

Both are correct. Cognizance with a z is standard in American English and is also the dominant legal spelling in Britain; cognisance is an accepted British variant.

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knowledge notice device recognition awareness jurisdiction consciousness perception ken ignorance badge competence

Nearby words

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