scholar

noun

schol·​ar ˈskä-lər How to pronounce scholar (audio)
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

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 As many legal scholars have pointed out, this is a highly unusual case, and likely a weak one. Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024 Urban scholars argue that the new data illustrates a longstanding American tradition of high-income earners leaving urban housing markets in pursuit of bigger homes in the suburbs. Emma Goldberg, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024 All parties — Trump, the group of voters and Colorado secretary of state — as well as legal scholars urged the justices to resolve the issue of his eligibility before most voters head to the polls for the 2024 election season. Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2024 Despite the restriction, there is nothing in the data that would reveal the identities of who is being investigated for any crime, according to Daniel Webster, a research scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions. Emma Tucker, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024 Ford spotlighted scholar Makenna Enga, who spoke of getting trained in Phoenix. Detroit Free Press, 4 Mar. 2024 Cézanne scholar Mary Tompkins Lewis was among a small group of experts invited to see the mural last year. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Feb. 2024 This variation in pronunciation reflects the influence of Latin on English, as Latin was highly regarded by scholars and influenced English pronunciation and spelling norms during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Erik Kain, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 Hodgkin later became close friends with Stuart Cary Welch, the Harvard scholar and curator who was one of the world’s leading experts in Indian and Islamic art. Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scholar.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of scholar was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near scholar

Cite this Entry

“Scholar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scholar. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

scholar

noun
schol·​ar ˈskäl-ər How to pronounce scholar (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on scholar

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