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Glite Dictionary
au fait

au fait

9.9
Well informed about a subject or recent news
  • adjective
  • /oʊ feɪ/
  • Formal
translation icon : bien informado
  • I am sure he has access to an academic who is au fait on the Parsee or is at least "moderately familiar" with the subject.

I'm not somebody who is that au fait with the microcosm of daily government things.

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Examples

  • There simply aren't people who have the same level of classical education and are au fait with 10 or more languages.

    Academic text (2010)

  • I'm not somebody who is that au fait with the microcosm of daily government things.

    andrew gold | heretics.

  • I'm not as au fait with the the your ways of government.

  • I'm I'm not particularly au fait with with that.

    andrew gold | heretics.

  • Au fait, Brodsky...

    Child 44 (2015)

  • This is hardly surprising; the late 60s saw the rise of second-wave feminism, and Kilvert's interest lay in giving HBC publicity a stronger sense of the au fait.

    Academic text (2014)

  • She is au fait with the latest developments in technology and can help with any questions.

  • As a historian, he is au fait with the significant events of the 20th century.

  • They are au fait with the policies of the new administration, having studied them in detail.

Synonyms

familiar
vsau fait
476 2.8

Knowing a place or subject well from experience

is more thoroughly knowledgeable and current rather than just acquainted
up on
vsau fait
142 7.0

Knowing a lot about something

is more complete and up to date with recent changes
knowledgeable
vsau fait
92 4.1

A person who has learned a lot about a subject

is also fully up to date with recent developments
well-informed
vsau fait
33 3.5

A person who knows a lot about a subject or the world

is fully up to date with recent developments as well
to be with it
vsau fait
  • Informal
22 7.9

To understand current ideas and styles

is more fully knowledgeable about the whole subject rather than trendy awareness
abreast
vsau fait
9 5.8

Having the latest information about something

is more completely informed about the subject rather than only recent news
au courant
vsau fait
  • Formal
1 9.9

Aware of recent events and developments in a field

is more fully knowledgeable and familiar rather than merely current
informed
vsau fait
3.7

Someone who knows a lot about a subject because they have the facts

is also fully aware of very recent developments
conversable
vsau fait
8.3

Someone who knows a subject well enough to talk about it

is deeper in knowledge rather than only able to discuss

Antonyms

ignorant
367 3.7

Not knowing about something or how it works

unfamiliar
104 4.4

Not known or seen before

How Knowledgeable

expert
3 3.5
au fait
  • Formal
9.9
knowledgeable
92 4.1
familiar
476 2.8

Surface Forms

au fait positive

Morphology

au + fait

This is a French borrowing rather than a compositional English phrase: the constituents 'au' and 'fait' are not English words and their literal meanings ('to the/at the', 'made/done/fact' in French) do not transparently yield 'fully knowledgeable'. An average B1 English learner who knows English vocabulary but not French would not be able to derive the meaning, and only speakers familiar with French or the fixed borrowing would recognize it.

Etymology

Au fait comes from French. The word au means 'to' and fait means 'fact' or 'done'. So if someone is au fait, they are 'to the fact' and already know the facts, which is why it means 'well informed'.