knowingly

knowingly — adverb

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

1.副詞B2
釋義

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.

例句

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.

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • innocently

    showing no special awareness or understanding

文法句型

verb + knowingly (after the verb)

knowingly + adjective (before an adjective)

用法筆記

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'.

常見錯誤

❌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.副詞B2
釋義

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.

例句

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.

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞

文法句型

knowingly + verb (before the verb)

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.