learning

noun

learn·​ing ˈlər-niŋ 

1

: the act or experience of one that learns

a computer program that makes learning fun

2

: knowledge or skill acquired by instruction or study

people of good education and considerable learning

3

: modification of a behavioral tendency by experience (such as exposure to conditioning)

4

: machine learning

Unsupervised learning, also known as unsupervised machine learning, uses machine learning algorithms to analyze and cluster unlabeled datasets. These algorithms discover hidden patterns or data groupings without the need for human intervention.

—IBM

Supervised machine learning requires labeled data to adjust the parameters of the model during training. … But without quality training data, supervised learning models will end up making poor inferences.

—Ben Dickson

Reinforcement machine learning trains machines through trial and error to take the best action by establishing a reward system. Reinforcement learning can train models to play games or train autonomous vehicles to drive by telling the machine when it made the right decisions, which helps it learn over time what actions it should take.

—Sara Brown

a learning system/model/algorithm

Synonyms

• education
• erudition
• knowledge
• learnedness
• literacy
• scholarship

Choose the Right Synonym for learning

knowledge, learning, erudition, scholarship mean what is or can be known by an individual or by humankind.

knowledge applies to facts or ideas acquired by study, investigation, observation, or experience.

rich in the knowledge of human nature

learning applies to knowledge acquired especially through formal, often advanced, schooling.

a book that demonstrates vast learning

erudition strongly implies the acquiring of profound, recondite, or bookish learning.

an erudition unusual even in a scholar

scholarship implies the possession of learning characteristic of the advanced scholar in a specialized field of study or investigation.

a work of first-rate literary scholarship

Examples of learning in a Sentence

a computer program that makes learning fun

different methods of foreign language learning

The first year of college was a learning experience.

They were people of good education and considerable learning.

Recent Examples on the Web

The performance gains here track with Apple’s positioning of the new Mac mini, available with M4 and M4 Pro chips, as machines more than performant enough to run Apple Intelligence and other machine learning tasks. —Steven Aquino, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

The high-frequency trading firm Citadel Securities, for example, began embedding advanced computing capabilities into its core strategy in the early 2000s, and in turn was able to leverage immense processing power and technologies, such as machine learning, to execute trades in microseconds. —Nathan Warren, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2024

Contributor Lisa Wood Shapiro is a WIRED contributor based in Brooklyn, New York, covering machine learning and air quality. —Condé Nast, WIRED, 1 Nov. 2024

Hughes is an expert in AI and machine learning, and previously served as the co-founder and chief scientist at the personalized audio news app Swell, which was acquired by Apple in 2014. —Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing learning

• associative learning
• book learning
• deep learning
• distance learning
• higher learning
• institution of higher learning
• learning curve
• learning difference
• learning difficulty
• learning disability
• machine learning
• paired-associate learning
• Reinforcement learning
• Reinforcement machine learning
• supervised learning
• Supervised machine learning
• Unsupervised learning
• unsupervised machine learning

Kids Definition

learning

noun

learn·​ing

ˈlər-niŋ

1

: the act or experience of one that learns

2

: knowledge or skill acquired by instruction or study

Medical Definition

learning

noun

learn·​ing

: the process of acquiring a modification in a behavioral tendency by experience (as exposure to conditioning) in contrast to modifications occurring because of development or a temporary physiological condition (as fatigue) of the organism

also : the modified behavioral tendency itself