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

• 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

Roundly condemned as an archaeological hoax by scholars, Inghirami undertook to publish a 1,000-page defense of his forgery. —JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025

Our students are amazing scholars, talented artists and performers, championship athletes, genuinely kind humans, and so much more. —Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Oct. 2025

At one point, Doechii’s preppy aesthetic extended to a schoolroom set that a select number of fans were brought onstage to be part of — and one lucky scholar at a moving desk received a nearly 30-second lap dance. —Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2025

Wharton visiting scholar Cornelia Walther explains how AI can help business leaders translate different mindsets and communicate more effectively. —Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2025

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
• collar
• crawler
• dollar
• faller
• haller
• hauler
• holler
• smaller
• squalor
• taller
• trawler

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