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 of scholar

• teacher
• sage
• pundit
• savant
• wizard

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

In his new book, Ethnic Studies at the Crossroads, Black studies scholar George Lipsitz contextualizes the state of ethnic studies as existing at a similar juncture of collision and divergence. —Literary Hub, 17 June 2026

Ryan Bourne is an economics scholar at the Cato Institute. —Ryan Bourne, Washington Post, 17 June 2026

Meanwhile, civil rights groups and many legal scholars counter the Supreme Court's ruling, arguing that the constitution does not prohibit the consideration of race in redistricting altogether. —Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 17 June 2026

Campbell argues that Latchford’s donations helped bolster his credibility as a scholar by associating his name with top institutions. —Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 17 June 2026

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

Rhymes for scholar

• caller
• choler
• collar
• crawler
• dollar
• faller
• haller
• hauler
• holler
• smaller
• squalor
• taller

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