scholar

noun

schol·​ar ˈskä-lər 

1

: a person who attends a school or studies under a teacher : pupil

2

a

: a person who has done advanced study in a special field

b

: a learned person

3

: a holder of a scholarship

Synonyms

• pundit
• sage
• savant

Examples of scholar in a Sentence

She's a renowned scholar of African-American history.

scholars have long debated whether there is ever such a thing as a truly selfless act

Recent Examples on the Web

Adrian Miller, the soul food scholar who eats black-eyed peas on New Year's Day, says since the tradition's origin is not set in stone, neither is the day it's observed. —Luis Giraldo, CBS News, 31 Dec. 2024

Gay also faced criticisms over allegations of plagiarism when conservative scholar Carol Swain accused Gay of stealing her work without an appropriate citation. —Maria Gracia Santillana Linares, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024

Later that year, Carter invited Ford to join him as the co-chair of the first few major projects of The Carter Center, most of which revolved around public policy and attracted high-ranking leaders and scholars from across the world. —Virginia Chamlee, People.com, 30 Dec. 2024

The exhibit is curated by writer and scholar Oliver Wang and explores the robust car culture in the Japanese American community. —Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English scoler, from Old English scolere & Anglo-French escoler, from Medieval Latin scholaris, from Late Latin, of a school, from Latin schola school

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing scholar

• Rhodes scholar

Kids Definition

scholar

noun

schol·​ar ˈskäl-ər 

1

: a person who attends a school or studies under a teacher : pupil

2

a

: a person who has done advanced study in a special area

b

: a learned person

3

: a holder of a scholarship

scholarly adjective