French word

méconnaissance

Pronunciation

IPA/mekonɛsɑ̃s/

Meaning

  • feminine nounlack of awareness

Example

Sa méconnaissance du danger était évidente.

His lack of awareness of the danger was obvious.

Illustration for méconnaissance (lack of awareness)

More examples

Une méconnaissance des consignes peut provoquer des erreurs.

A lack of understanding of the instructions can cause errors.

Core concept

A blind spot that leaves something unseen or undervalued.

Common phrases

  • méconnaissance des consignes

    lack of understanding of the instructions

  • méconnaissance du mode d'emploi

    lack of understanding of the user manual

Similar words

ignorance: The state of having insufficient knowledge or information.
sous-estimation: Estimating the importance or danger of something below its actual level.

Definition in French

Fait de ne pas reconnaître ou de sous-estimer quelque chose par manque d'information ou d'attention.

Word origin

Méconnaissance is formed from French méconnaître with the noun suffix -ance; connaître ultimately comes from Latin cognoscere.

Usage tips

  • Méconnaissance is feminine, so standard forms include une méconnaissance and sa méconnaissance.

Other meanings

  • ignorancenoun
  • lack of understandingnoun

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word