encyclopedic
adjective
en·cy·clo·pe·dic
in-ˌsī-klə-ˈpē-dik 
: of, relating to, or suggestive of an encyclopedia or its methods of treating or covering a subject : comprehensive
an encyclopedic mind
an encyclopedic collection of armor
Did you know?
In Greek, paidaea meant not simply "child-rearing" but also "education", and kyklios meant "general;" thus, an encyclopedia is a work broad enough to provide a kind of general education. The world's most eminent general encyclopedia, the Encyclopaedia Britannica, is a huge work that covers every field of human knowledge. But encyclopedic doesn't have to refer to books; it's often used to describe the wide-ranging knowledge that certain types of minds just can't stop acquiring.
Synonyms
Examples of encyclopedic in a Sentence
She published an encyclopedic study of ancient Egypt.
The event was described in encyclopedic detail.
his almost encyclopedic knowledge of movies
Recent Examples on the Web
The Herbert estate gave notes, using an encyclopedic knowledge of the canon to contribute ideas.
—
Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY, 15 Nov. 2024
He’s been wading into Facebook and Twitter fights as Socialist Sopranos Memes for more than five years, armed with an encyclopedic knowledge of HBO’s The Sopranos, left-wing views, a righteous frustration with political and social discourse, and the heart of a poster.
—Nic Juarez, Vulture, 21 June 2024
To create this specificity, Jones pulled from his voracious and encyclopedic knowledge of music theory and music history.
—Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 4 Nov. 2024
Their encyclopedic offerings are not as important when people going to work don’t want to vary their clothing.
—Richard Kestenbaum, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for encyclopedic 
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Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY, 15 Nov. 2024
He’s been wading into Facebook and Twitter fights as Socialist Sopranos Memes for more than five years, armed with an encyclopedic knowledge of HBO’s The Sopranos, left-wing views, a righteous frustration with political and social discourse, and the heart of a poster.
—Nic Juarez, Vulture, 21 June 2024
To create this specificity, Jones pulled from his voracious and encyclopedic knowledge of music theory and music history.
—Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 4 Nov. 2024
Their encyclopedic offerings are not as important when people going to work don’t want to vary their clothing.
—Richard Kestenbaum, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for encyclopedic
Dictionary Entries Near encyclopedic
Cite this Entry
“Encyclopedic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encyclopedic. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.
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