recognised

recognised — adjective

1. accepted or acknowledged by many people as having a particular status, value, or

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

accepted or acknowledged by many people as having a particular status, value, or quality — for example, a recognised expert in a field, a recognised qualification for a profession, or a recognised risk to public health.

Example

Dr. Obi is a recognised expert in tropical medicine and has published over 200 papers.

recognised + [profession/role noun]

The University of Tokyo offers recognised qualifications that are accepted by employers worldwide.

recognised + [qualification noun]

Common collocations
  • widely recognised
  • internationally recognised
  • officially recognised
  • generally recognised
  • recognised as
  • recognised expert
  • recognised qualification
  • recognised authority
  • recognised standard
  • recognised cause
Synonyms
  • acknowledged

    more neutral and less official than 'recognised'; can apply to feelings or facts

  • accepted

    broader in meaning; does not necessarily imply official or expert validation

  • established

    stronger implication of long-term stability and reliability

Antonyms
  • unrecognised

    direct opposite; not accepted or acknowledged

  • unacknowledged

    suggests a fact or contribution exists but has not been formally noted

Grammar Patterns

recognised + noun

widely/internationally recognised

recognised as + noun

Usage Note

This is the British English spelling; the American English spelling is 'recognized'. The adjective usually appears before a noun (attributive position) rather than after a linking verb.

Word family

  • recognise
    verbB1
  • recognition
    nounB2
  • recognisable
    adjectiveB2
  • recognisably
    adverbC1
  • unrecognised
    adjectiveC1
  • unrecognisable
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe something whose status or value is not in doubt, but they differ in scope and formality. 'Recognised' carries a sense of public or official validation — a recognised qualification is one that an official body has approved. 'Acknowledged' is softer and more neutral: you can acknowledge a mistake or an emotion without any formal stamp of approval. 'Accepted' is the broadest of the group; a fact can be 'generally accepted' without being officially recognised. 'Established' implies something has been in place and trusted for a long time — an established practice, an established fact. 'Accredited' is the most specific, referring to formal authorisation by a recognised body (an accredited university, an accredited translator). For example, a medical degree may be 'recognised' by the General Medical Council and 'accredited' by a specialist board, while the knowledge it represents is simply 'accepted' as sound within the profession.

acknowledgedacceptedestablishedaccredited

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • in the field of
  • by the government
  • by law
  • among professionals

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The adjective 'recognised' comes from the past participle of the verb 'recognise', which entered English from Old French 'reconoistre' and ultimately from Latin 'recognoscere' — a combination of 're-' (again) and 'cognoscere' (to know). The core idea is 'to know again' — something recognised is something that has been 'known again' and therefore accepted as valid. The spelling with '-ised' rather than '-ized' follows British English conventions.