ERUDITION Synonyms: 16 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'erudition' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of erudition are knowledge , learning , and scholarship . While all these words mean "what is or can be known by an individual or by humankind," erudition strongly implies the acquiring of profound, recondite, or bookish learning. // an erudition unusual even in a scholar

Q: When might 'knowledge' be a better fit than 'erudition'?

While the synonyms knowledge and erudition are close in meaning, knowledge applies to facts or ideas acquired by study, investigation, observation, or experience. // rich in the knowledge of human nature

Q: When can 'learning' be used instead of 'erudition'?

The meanings of learning and erudition largely overlap; however, learning applies to knowledge acquired especially through formal, often advanced, schooling. // a book that demonstrates vast learning

Q: When could 'scholarship' be used to replace 'erudition'?

In some situations, the words scholarship and erudition are roughly equivalent. However, 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

erudition

noun

ˌer-ə-ˈdi-shən

Definition of erudition next

as in knowledge

the understanding and information gained from being educated a scientist of impressive erudition but with a down-to-earth manner

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How does the noun erudition differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of erudition are knowledge, learning, and scholarship. While all these words mean "what is or can be known by an individual or by humankind," erudition strongly implies the acquiring of profound, recondite, or bookish learning.

an erudition unusual even in a scholar

When might knowledge be a better fit than erudition?

While the synonyms knowledge and erudition are close in meaning, knowledge applies to facts or ideas acquired by study, investigation, observation, or experience.

rich in the knowledge of human nature

When can learning be used instead of erudition?

The meanings of learning and erudition largely overlap; however, learning applies to knowledge acquired especially through formal, often advanced, schooling.

a book that demonstrates vast learning

When could scholarship be used to replace erudition?

In some situations, the words scholarship and erudition are roughly equivalent. However, 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 Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of erudition Making Global Society: A Study of Humankind Across Three Eras By Barry Buzan Cambridge University Press, 2023, 522 pp. Loading... With characteristic ambition and erudition, Buzan tells the sweeping story of the rise and evolution of modern global society. —

Barry Buzan, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 Though a few reviews recognized the book’s originality and astonishing erudition, sales were meager. —

Eugene Linden, TIME, 21 Apr. 2024 These traditional institutions—including, more recently, Harvard—are steeped in a sense of stoicism, seriousness, and erudition. —

Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024 He is gifted with vertiginous erudition and witty humor. —

Addie Morfoot, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for erudition

Recent Examples of Synonyms for erudition

Noun

Sources with knowledge of the investigation told The Times officials were aware of the earlier fire and its general proximity to the starting point of the Palisades fire, and looking into whether they are related.

Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2025
On one side, there’s a wealth of scientific knowledge.

Rhea Wessel, Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025