cognoscente
One who knows
A cognoscente is a person with expert knowledge or refined taste in a particular field, especially the arts.
The word carries a whiff of pretension—someone who not only knows but wants you to know they know: The cognoscenti dismissed the show as derivative.
Plural: cognoscenti, which appears more often than the singular.
Knowledgeable, passionate follower
- expertHighly skilled practitioner
- authorityPower to enforce obedience
- mavenTrusted field authority
- savantPerson of profound learning
specialist · collector · curator · critic · tastemaker · arbiter · virtuoso · maestro
Connoisseur of fine cuisine
- epicureLover of fine food
- gourmandExcessive food lover
- sommelierTrained wine service professional
- oenophileLover of vintages
gastronome · bon vivant · palate · discernment · appreciation · refinement · discrimination · selectivity
Refined and courteous
- cosmopolitanCulturally sophisticated, internationally fluent
- worldlyExperienced in practical affairs
- polishedSmooth, refined, accomplished
- refinedPurified or cultured
elegant · sophisticated · erudite · cultivated · genteel · debonair · suave · well-bred
Quick to understand
- astuteMentally sharp, discerning
- discriminatingShowing careful judgment
- judiciousHaving sound assessment skills
- perspicaciousHaving keen mental perception
insightful · keen · penetrating · shrewd · sagacious · analytical · critical · selective
aficionado
Knowledgeable, passionate follower
savant · specialist · collector · curator · critic · tastemaker · arbiter · virtuoso · maestro · pundit
gourmet
Connoisseur of fine cuisine
oenophile · gastronome · bon vivant · palate · discernment · appreciation · refinement · discrimination · selectivity · cultivation
urbane
Refined and courteous
- cosmopolitanCulturally sophisticated, internationally fluent
- worldlyExperienced in practical affairs
- polishedSmooth, refined, accomplished
refined · elegant · sophisticated · erudite · cultivated · genteel · debonair · suave · well-bred · civilized
perceptive
Quick to understand
- astuteMentally sharp, discerning
- discriminatingShowing careful judgment
- judiciousHaving sound assessment skills
perspicacious · insightful · keen · penetrating · shrewd · sagacious · analytical · critical · selective · exacting
- expertsexperts, expert, specialist, masters, specialists
- enthusiastsenthusiasts, fans, devotee, enthusiast, buff
- intellectualsscholar, intellectual, academic, thinker, philosopher
- worldlyworldly, cosmopolitan, globe-trotter, globetrotter, world traveler
cognoscentephilistine
Art-dismissing ignoramus
lowbrow · groundling · boor · vulgarian · barbarian
cognoscenteoutsider
One excluded from group
layman · uninitiate · stranger · newcomer