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Prepositions after adjectives

Cognizant of, about, for, to or with?

Cognizant is most naturally followed by of to mean aware of something.

Quick answer

Use cognizant of

Cognizant of means aware of or informed about. Other prepositions are generally uncommon or nonstandard after cognizant.

She is cognizant of the risks.
We remain cognizant of cultural differences.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
cognizant of + fact/risk

Showing awareness

Use of after cognizant in formal English.

Investors are cognizant of market changes.
2
fully cognizant of + noun

Emphasising awareness

Fully often strengthens the adjective.

He was fully cognizant of the consequences.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
cognizant of
They are cognizant of the problem.
standard formal pattern meaning aware of
cognizant about
She is cognizant about the issue.
generally avoided; use of instead
cognizant to
He is cognizant to the risks.
nonstandard in current English
cognizant with
We are cognizant with the rules.
nonstandard; aware of is preferred

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using about after cognizant

Of is the standard complement.

✕ She is cognizant about the costs. ✓ She is cognizant of the costs.

Using cognizant with

With is not idiomatic after cognizant.

✕ They are cognizant with the policy. ✓ They are cognizant of the policy.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. Managers should be cognizant ___ legal risks.
2. Which phrase is standard English?
3. The report shows we are fully cognizant ___ the challenges.

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Frequently asked questions

Is cognizant formal?

Yes. It is more formal than aware of.

Can I use cognizant about?

It appears occasionally, but standard English strongly prefers cognizant of.

What is a simpler alternative?

Aware of is the most common alternative.

calm, in, calm, for, calm, about "candid about" or "candid in"? capable of or in? careful about, with, of, in or on? careless about, with, in, of or on? caribbean in, for, with, to or on? "catastrophic for" or "catastrophic to"? "cautious about" or "cautious in"? celtic in, for, on, at or to? central to, in, for, at or of? "certain of" or "certain about"? "challenging for" or "challenging of"?

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