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

This month, that work is being celebrated by the Association for the Study of African American Life & History, the advocacy organization founded by the father of Black History Month, scholar Carter G. Woodson. —N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2025

Typically, such studies are led by a prominent person of national distinction or a renowned scholar, and are carried out by a panel of national experts from academia, industry, the public sector and nongovernmental organizations. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 7 Feb. 2025

For decades, scholars debated whether these languages spread from the Eurasian steppe or from early farmers in Anatolia, in what is now Turkey. —Ella Jeffries, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Feb. 2025

Both scholars judged the Bible a fraud and hatched a plan to disprove it-just for giggles. —Dan Miller, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025

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