Word
knowingly
Phoneticsknow·ing·ly
US/ˈnoʊɪŋɫi/
UK/nˈəʊɪŋli/
Definitions
01deliberately
adv. doing something on purpose while knowing exactly what you are doing.
adv. with full awareness or intention; often used in legal or formal contexts to describe an action taken with knowledge of its consequences.
“He knowingly gave the police the wrong address to help his friend escape.”
“The company was accused of knowingly discharging toxic waste into the river despite being aware of the environmental regulations.”
Formal
Usage
Often used in legal contexts to prove intent.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02showing you share a secret
adv. looking at someone or smiling in a way that shows you both know a secret.
adv. in a manner that suggests the possession of private or secret knowledge.
“When I mentioned the surprise party, Sarah looked at me knowingly.”
“The two colleagues glanced at each other knowingly when the manager claimed the project was ahead of schedule.”
Literary
Usage
Commonly modifies verbs of looking, such as 'smile', 'glance', or 'nod'.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“The department said TikTok knowingly permitted children to create regular accounts, and then create and share short-form videos and messages with adults and others on the regular TikTok platform.” “It was funny, ironic, complicated and even its counterculturalism was knowingly passé, declinist.” Etymology
From Middle English knawyngly, knowyngly. By surface analysis, knowing + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/knowingly