knowledge

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun knowledge differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of knowledge are erudition, learning, and scholarship. While all these words 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

In what contexts can erudition take the place of knowledge?

While in some cases nearly identical to knowledge, erudition strongly implies the acquiring of profound, recondite, or bookish learning.

an erudition unusual even in a scholar

When would learning be a good substitute for knowledge?

The words learning and knowledge are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, learning applies to knowledge acquired especially through formal, often advanced, schooling.

a book that demonstrates vast learning

Where would scholarship be a reasonable alternative to knowledge?

In some situations, the words scholarship and knowledge 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

Example 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 knowledge With more time and research, additional archaeological discoveries may eventually fill in our cavities of knowledge. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 28 Aug. 2025 Every mortgage review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of mortgage products. Kelsey Neubauer, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2025 The company is pink-slipping 15% of its staff, according to a source with knowledge of the cuts. Brent Lang, Variety, 27 Aug. 2025 No one inside the Houston Astros clubhouse had more meticulous knowledge of Friday’s opponent than Urías, the 31-year-old middle infielder acquired 16 days ago from the Baltimore Orioles. Chandler Rome, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for knowledge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knowledge
Noun
  • Blue Zones Travel: Longevity Through Lifestyle Sometimes the oldest wisdom proves most effective.
    Meggen Harris, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
  • Many global examples show the wisdom of a political system that checks the executive power by placing policing under local control.
    Joel Day, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Borders, a member of the family that launched the book retailer of the same name, understands the importance of spreading literacy.
    Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 29 Aug. 2025
  • Invest in systematic faculty development that goes beyond emergency pandemic training to encompass both innovation and technological literacy, with particular attention to supporting adjunct faculty who deliver nearly half of online instruction but receive the least institutional support.
    Alison Griffin, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Stores give customers the chance to experience products first-hand, which in turn drives brand awareness and lifts e-commerce sales.
    Brin Snelling, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
  • In advance of Comic-Con weekend, the attorney general and Comic-Con International partnered together to raise awareness of human trafficking and provide resources for the public to assist in the fight to combat human trafficking.
    Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • This one-day summer party honoring sandwiches is organized by sandwich guru Parisi, along with Will McDowell and Bekah Galang – all with expertise in restaurant and food community organizing.
    Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 30 Aug. 2025
  • Teachers will still need deep subject expertise, but their value will be in applying that knowledge alongside data feedback from AI systems.
    Ray Ravaglia, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Forensic anthropologists will input data from the deceased individual — like bone measurements — and the software will use machine learning to help identify new patterns within the data.
    Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Aug. 2025
  • In its paper, the team showed that a simple machine learning model would not have identified the supernova as rare based on its brightness alone.
    Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • An unexpected celebrity endorsement can thus serve as the ultimate filter, simplifying choices and fast-tracking decisions on what deserves attention.
    Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
  • While the expectation for Waller should not be to replicate Smith’s production, his presence as a premiere pass-catcher could take away attention from the dynamic duo of receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • This biomimetic approach to AI development would position Malaysia to export not just technological products, but technological philosophies — ways of thinking about intelligence that emerge from ecological rather than industrial metaphors.
    Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
  • There are hints throughout the film that Elizabeth may have been an intelligence agent.
    Ralphie Aversa, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The desire to get involved in education issues is happening at a critical moment in the city.
    Lori Higgins, Freep.com, 25 Aug. 2025
  • On Wednesday, July 16, 1969, the Apollo 11 mission departed for the moon, powered by a Saturn V rocket and years of government investment in science and education (a pretty thought today).
    Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Knowledge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knowledge. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.

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