Antonyms for know-how

Grammar : Noun

Spell : noh-hou

Phonetic Transcription : ˈnoʊˌhaʊ

Definition of know-how

Origin : Old English cnawan (class VII strong verb; past tense cneow, past participle cnawen), "to know, perceive; acknowledge, declare," from Proto-Germanic *knew- (cf. Old High German bi-chnaan, ir-chnaan "to know"), from PIE root *gno- "to know" (cf. Old Persian xšnasatiy "he shall know;" Old Church Slavonic znati, Russian znat "to know;" Latin gnoscere; Greek *gno-, as in gignoskein; Sanskrit jna- "know"). Once widespread in Germanic, this form is now retained only in English, where however it has widespread application, covering meanings that require two or more verbs in other languages (e.g. German wissen, kennen, erkennen and in part können; French connaître, savoir; Latin novisse, cognoscere; Old Church Slavonic znaja, vemi). The Anglo-Saxons used two distinct words for this, witan (see wit) and cnawan.
Meaning "to have sexual intercourse with" is attested from c.1200, from the Old Testament. To not know one's ass from one's elbow is from 1930. To know better "to have learned from experience" is from 1704. You know as a parenthetical filler is from 1712, but it has roots in 14c. To know too much (to be allowed to live, escape, etc.) is from 1872. As an expression of surprise, what do you know attested by 1914.

noun skill, talent

Example sentences :

You have the know-how and more general experience, and can do it.
Extract from : « The Yazoo Mystery » by Irving Craddock

This, he said, would be a miracle of American Medical know-how.
Extract from : « Prologue to an Analogue » by Leigh Richmond

We are offering our know-how and our cooperation to the United Nations.
Extract from : « Complete State of the Union Addresses from 1790 to 2006 » by Various

Mebbe—mebbe Sis'll be gettin' married some day, an' I tell ye a little doctorin' know-how is mighty handy in a house.
Extract from : « The Bacillus of Beauty » by Harriet Stark

Here was a huge, powerful organization, with all the equipment and men and know-how they could ever need.
Extract from : « Gold in the Sky » by Alan Edward Nourse

By phone, by gossip, by hearsay and by know-how he got the stories behind the story—the real horrors that he couldn't broadcast.
Extract from : « Prologue to an Analogue » by Leigh Richmond

Kill off enough of the masses and even if the planet and the know-how is left, there's nobody to do the work.
Extract from : « Space Viking » by Henry Beam Piper

Man, it's a bigger job than you think, and you've got to have the know-how and the nerve before you can put it over.
Extract from : « Slippy McGee, Sometimes Known as the Butterfly Man » by Marie Conway Oemler

Liberal watering is the "know-how" that a person must have to make a success of growing; good plants in window and veranda boxes.
Extract from : « Amateur Gardencraft » by Eben E. Rexford

By the time a fighter had any real experience and know-how in the old days, his body was shot.
Extract from : « Vital Ingredient » by Gerald Vance

Synonyms for know-how

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019