knowingly

knowingly — adverb

1. Done with a facial expression, tone, or gesture that reveals your awareness of s

1.adverbB2
Definition

Done with a facial expression, tone, or gesture that reveals your awareness of something — especially something unspoken or private that others might not expect you to know.

Example

Élise gave her brother a knowingly amused smile when their mother mentioned the party.

collocation: knowingly + adjective (knowingly amused)

The librarian nodded knowingly as the children tried to hide a torn page.

Common collocations
  • smile knowingly
  • nod knowingly
  • wink knowingly
  • look knowingly
  • knowingly amused
Synonyms
  • significantly

    used similarly for meaningful looks, but broader and less tied to facial expression

  • meaningfully

    strong emphasis on conveying a hidden message, slightly more formal

Antonyms
  • innocently

    showing no special awareness or understanding

Grammar Patterns

verb + knowingly (after the verb)

knowingly + adjective (before an adjective)

Usage Note

This sense almost always describes facial expressions, gestures, or tones of voice — it does not describe performing an action with knowledge or skill. Common patterns are 'smile knowingly', 'nod knowingly', 'wink knowingly', and 'look knowingly at someone'.

Common Mistakes

He knowingly read the book.' (when meaning 'with understanding')
He understood the book well.
'Knowingly' in this sense describes expressions and gestures, not the manner of doing an activity.

2. in a way that is done on purpose, with full awareness of the likely consequences

2.adverbB2
Definition

in a way that is done on purpose, with full awareness of the likely consequences — often used when talking about breaking rules, lying, or causing harm.

Example

The driver knowingly ran a red light because he was rushing to the hospital.

adverb before verb for intentional actions

No one would knowingly drink sour milk, but Owen did not check the date.

Common collocations
  • knowingly break
  • knowingly lie
  • knowingly mislead
  • knowingly violate
  • knowingly provide false information
Synonyms
  • deliberately

    more neutral in tone; covers both positive and negative intentions

  • intentionally

    slightly more formal than 'deliberately'; emphasises purposefulness

  • willfully

    strongly negative connotation; implies stubborn determination to do wrong despite knowing better

  • on purpose

    informal; common in spoken English, less precise about awareness of consequences

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

knowingly + verb (before the verb)

Usage Note

Frequently appears in legal and formal contexts to distinguish intentional acts from accidental ones. In everyday speech, it often carries a negative connotation, especially about deception or rule-breaking. It is less commonly used for neutral or positive intentional actions.

Common Mistakes

She knowingly tripped over the rug by accident.
She tripped over the rug by accident.
Use 'knowingly' only for intentional actions, not accidents.
He knowingly knew the answer.
He knew the answer.
'Knowingly' is redundant with 'knew' since both convey awareness.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/2

These four words all describe actions done on purpose, but they differ in overtones. 'Deliberately' is the most neutral and versatile — you can deliberately save money, deliberately ignore someone, or deliberately choose a career path. 'Intentionally' is slightly more formal and emphasises purposefulness. 'Willfully' carries a strongly negative charge and implies stubborn determination to do wrong despite knowing better (e.g., 'willfully disobeying a court order'). 'On purpose' belongs to informal spoken English and is the least precise about awareness of consequences — a child might spill juice on purpose, but a corporation would not be said to do so. 'Knowingly' sits between 'deliberately' and 'willfully': it stresses that the person was aware of the truth or likely result at the time of acting, making it especially common in legal contexts where the distinction between intentional and accidental is critical.

deliberately ↗intentionally ↗willfullyon purpose ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • fully knowingly

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The adverb 'knowingly' is formed from the adjective 'knowing' (the present participle of the verb 'know', from Old English 'cnāwan', meaning 'to recognise, understand') plus the adverbial suffix '-ly'. It first appeared in English in the late 14th century with the meaning 'intentionally, with full knowledge of the facts'. The sense of 'in a manner that shows awareness or understanding through expression' emerged in the 16th–17th centuries, as the word broadened from describing the mental state of the actor to describing the external signs of that state observable by others.