knowledge noun
1 his knowledge of history | technical knowledge understanding, comprehension, grasp, command, mastery; expertise, skill, proficiency, expertness, accomplishment, adeptness, capacity, capability; informal know-how. antonym ignorance.
2 people anxious to display their knowledge learning, erudition, education, scholarship, schooling, wisdom. antonym ignorance, illiteracy.
3 he slipped away without my knowledge awareness, consciousness, realization, cognition, apprehension, perception, appreciation; formal cognizance. antonym unawareness.
4 an intimate knowledge of the countryside familiarity with, acquaintance with, intimacy with.
5 inform the police of your knowledge information, facts, intelligence, news, reports; informal info, (the) lowdown.
Dictionary
knowledge |ˈnälij|
noun
1 facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject : a thirst for knowledge | her considerable knowledge of antiques.
• what is known in a particular field or in total; facts and information : the transmission of knowledge.
• Philosophy true, justified belief; certain understanding, as opposed to opinion.
2 awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a fact or situation : the program had been developed without his knowledge | he denied all knowledge of the overnight incidents.
adjective
relating to organized information stored electronically or digitally : the knowledge economy.
PHRASES
come to one's knowledge become known to one.
to ( the best of) my knowledge 1 so far as I know. 2 as I know for certain.
ORIGIN Middle English (originally as a verb in the sense [acknowledge, recognize,] later as a noun): from an Old English compound based on cnāwan (see know ).
THE RIGHT WORD
How much do you know?
Knowledge applies to any body of facts gathered by study, observation, or experience, and to the ideas inferred from these facts (: an in-depth knowledge of particle physics; firsthand knowledge about the company).
Information may be no more than a collection of data or facts (: information about vacation resorts) gathered through observation, reading, or hearsay, with no guarantee of their validity ( | false information that led to the arrest).
Scholarship emphasizes academic knowledge or accomplishment (: a special award for scholarship), while learning is knowledge gained not only by study in schools and universities but by individual research and investigation ( | a man of great learning), which puts it on a somewhat higher plane.
Erudition is on a higher plane still, implying bookish knowledge that is beyond the average person's comprehension (: exhibit extraordinary erudition in a doctoral dissertation).
Pedantry, on the other hand, is a negative term for a slavish attention to obscure facts or details or an undue display of learning (: the pedantry of modern literary criticism).
You can have extensive knowledge of a subject and even exhibit erudition, however, without attaining wisdom, the superior judgment and understanding that is based on both knowledge and experience.
