Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Familiar or knowledgeable, as by study or experience.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Having frequent or customary intercourse; intimately associating; familiar by companionship; acquainted: followed by with, formerly also by among.
  • Acquainted by familiar use or study; having a thorough or intimate knowledge or proficiency: followed generally by with, formerly and still occasionally by in.
  • Having concern or connection; concerned, occupied, or engaged: followed by with or about.
  • Synonyms Versed (in), skilled (in), proficient (in).

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Having frequent or customary intercourse; familiary associated; intimately acquainted.
  • adjective Familiar or acquainted by use or study; well-informed; versed; -- generally used with with, sometimes with in.
  • adjective Concerned; occupied.
  • noun rare One who converses with another; a convenser.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective closely familiar; current; having frequent interaction
  • adjective familiar or acquainted by use or study; well-informed; versed
  • noun One who converses with another.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective (usually followed by `with') well informed about or knowing thoroughly

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English conversaunt, associated with, from Old French conversant, present participle of converser, to associate with, from Latin conversārī; see converse.]

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Examples

  • Athens on the 27th day of the 7th month, in the year accounted 1657, being the first day of the week, the day of Greek solemn worship, and to have been "conversant" with Carlo Dessio and Gumeno Stephaci, "called Greek doctors."

    Notes and Queries, Number 78, April 26, 1851 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc Various 1852

  • The judge said that he knew the legislation had been changed to meet some of the concerns but that he was not "conversant" with the latest figures regarding prisoners detained beyond their minimum sentence.

    The Independent - Frontpage RSS Feed 2009

  • India (59 per cent), Australia (58 per cent) and New Zealand (58 per cent) are home to the most "conversant" consumers in the region.

    TODAYonline 2008

  • There, individuals who are accustomed to, say, the metric system must also be conversant with the imperial system now embattled even in the kingdom of its formerly eponymous empire, Britain pretty much solely for the purpose of taking the American test.

    The English Is Coming! Leslie Dunton-Downer 2010

  • The Mondale model helps assure that the constitutional successor is fully conversant with the issues our government faces.

    The Good Fight Walter F. Mondale 2010

  • There, individuals who are accustomed to, say, the metric system must also be conversant with the imperial system now embattled even in the kingdom of its formerly eponymous empire, Britain pretty much solely for the purpose of taking the American test.

    The English Is Coming! Leslie Dunton-Downer 2010

  • The Mondale model helps assure that the constitutional successor is fully conversant with the issues our government faces.

    The Good Fight Walter F. Mondale 2010

  • The Mondale model helps assure that the constitutional successor is fully conversant with the issues our government faces.

    The Good Fight Walter F. Mondale 2010

  • So I'm not only conversant but experienced in what it takes to create theater, including theater featuring women and girls.

    Ellen Snortland: "Commencement": Changing the World One Perverted CEO At A Time Ellen Snortland 2011

  • So I'm not only conversant but experienced in what it takes to create theater, including theater featuring women and girls.

    Ellen Snortland: "Commencement": Changing the World One Perverted CEO At A Time Ellen Snortland 2011

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  • The callous palms of the laborer are conversant with finer tissues of self-respect and heroism, whose touch thrills the heart, than the languid fingers of idleness.

    Henry David Thoreau, "Walking"

    July 24, 2011