Definition of knowledgenext

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 In sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm, pocket museum creators envelop visitors in environments centered on their obsessions. — Dina Cheney, Washington Post, 17 Oct. 2026 Earlier this year, police were called to the family’s home and Cabello was taken to a hospital for observation, a police source with knowledge of the case said. — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 17 Oct. 2026 Bøe said the experiment could help establish the engineering knowledge, licensing approaches, and supply chains needed for commercial deployment. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026 For clinicians, staying current requires keeping pace with a body of knowledge that expands almost daily. — Brad Kreick, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for knowledge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knowledge
Noun
  • Wherever fear has replaced curiosity, wherever people have stopped listening, wherever power has outrun wisdom.
    — Halla Tómasdóttir, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Somehow, the book is compact enough to fit into a bag, easy to dip into and draw from Le Guin’s wellspring of wisdoms.
    — Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Despite the claims and clamor, well into the twenty-first century, less than 40 percent of American twelfth graders are proficient in basic literacy.
    — Kamau Bobb October 21, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026
  • He was born into enslavement in Edgefield District, South Carolina, bound by laws that forbade Black literacy.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Our ongoing relationship and collaboration with the Metallica Scholars Initiative to help raise awareness and support for career and technical education.
    — Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The quarterback’s pocket awareness also impressed, consistently moving up in the pocket as edge rushers converged from the outside.
    — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The exercise provided a practical demonstration of how shipbuilding expertise and mission autonomy software can work together.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Research can support local expertise and diagnostic capacity while helping identify treatments relevant to the continent’s health priorities.
    — Segun Fatumo, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • If you are diagnosed with ADHD, dyslexia, or another learning challenge, take advantage of treatment to manage the good and address the challenges.
    — Diane Brady, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • However, their claims of revolutionizing teaching and learning, of unlocking the potential of education, and of transforming the institution of school suggest otherwise.
    — Kamau Bobb October 21, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Amalia Ulman’s 2025 film Magic Farm, about an American team’s desperation to manufacture a viral trend in rural Argentina, is minor cringe for its pleasurable skewering of the attention economy.
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • No one was standing over my shoulder telling me to pay it special attention, but I was mesmerized.
    — Joan Martelli, Time, 17 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Pierce and Kember were born in the same place on the same day, a lore-enhancing coincidence too stupid to make up.
    — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Throughout October, ghost tours are giving visitors a look at the neighborhood's history and haunting local lore.
    — Madeline Montgomery, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The union argues that income limits topping $500,000 in parts of the state make it more a tax break for the wealthy than an education program.
    — Lara Murray-Sterzel, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Its eventual deployment could help the university explore how emerging aircraft fit into policing, emergency management, and engineering education.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Knowledge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knowledge. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on knowledge

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster