nounnounadjective

el conocido

well-known · know · acquaintance

Persona o cosa que resulta familiar o que muchas personas saben quién es.

Definition & meaning

Conocido means known, familiar, or well-known, depending on context:

Known or familiar: un lugar conocido — “a familiar place.”
Well-known: un escritor conocido — “a well-known writer.”
As a noun, un conocido means an acquaintance: someone you know but may not know well.

It is also the masculine singular past participle of conocer (“to know,” “to meet,” or “to become acquainted with”). In compound tenses, it appears in forms such as he conocido (“I have met/known”).

Grammar & Word origin

Conocido is an adjective and a past participle. It agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes: conocido, conocida, conocidos, conocidas.

As a noun, it is usually used with an article, as in un conocido (“an acquaintance”). The feminine form una conocida refers to a female acquaintance.

The word is formed from the stem conoc- of conocer plus the regular past-participle ending -ido. Conocer comes from Latin cognoscere, “to learn about” or “to know.”

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms vary by meaning:

familiar means familiar or recognizable; it does not necessarily imply that many people know of something.
famoso and célebre mean famous or celebrated, stronger than conocido when it means merely “well-known.”
sabido can mean known or already understood, but often refers to information rather than a person or place.
allegado can mean someone close or familiar, but usually suggests a closer personal relationship than un conocido.

Antonyms:

desconocido means unknown or unfamiliar; as a noun, it can mean a stranger.
ignorado means unnoticed or disregarded, rather than simply not known.

Common phrases & collocations

conocido por — known for: Es conocido por sus novelas (“He is known for his novels”).
de sobra conocido — widely or very well known.
un viejo conocido — an old acquaintance.
dar a conocer — to make something known or to introduce it to the public.