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

Barnes and Imam had been trading ideas with a scholar named Andrew Willard Jones, whose work focussed on the model of Christendom found in, say, High Middle Ages France, where society was organized around its relationship with the Church. —Emma Green, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026

Eastman, 65, an outspoken conservative legal scholar, became a national figure five years ago after advising Trump on how the vice president might reject electoral votes from states that Joe Biden won. —Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 16 Apr. 2026

Years later, Carter followed that path, eventually becoming a scholar, professor of religion, and the founding dean of King Chapel in 1979. —Nakell Williams, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026

As one of the nation’s most consequential legal thinkers and scholars, Heather Gerken has long directed her fierce intellect toward defending free and fair elections, a strong civic architecture, and the rule of law. —Elizabeth Alexander, Time, 15 Apr. 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
• 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