Synonyms of scholarship

scholarship

noun

ˈskä-lər-ˌship 

as in literacy

the understanding and information gained from being educated

the historian's new book displays a remarkable level of scholarship

Synonyms & Similar Words

• literacy
• knowledge
• education
• learning
• erudition
• culture
• learnedness
• enlightenment
• edification
• reading
• pedantry
• bookishness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignorance
• illiteracy
• illiterateness
• functional illiteracy

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun scholarship differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of scholarship are erudition, knowledge, and learning. While all these words mean "what is or can be known by an individual or by humankind," 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

When might erudition be a better fit than scholarship?

The synonyms erudition and scholarship are sometimes interchangeable, but erudition strongly implies the acquiring of profound, recondite, or bookish learning.

an erudition unusual even in a scholar

Where would knowledge be a reasonable alternative to scholarship?

Although the words knowledge and scholarship have much in common, knowledge applies to facts or ideas acquired by study, investigation, observation, or experience.

rich in the knowledge of human nature

When is learning a more appropriate choice than scholarship?

The words learning and scholarship 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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of scholarship

Lawmakers, meanwhile, are eyeing nearly 20 bills that could dramatically expand eligibility for the Oklahoma’s Promise scholarship program and balloon the program’s price tag to as much as $500 million a year, higher education officials said. —Emma Murphy, Oklahoma Voice, 6 Feb. 2026

With time running out to find a way to pay for college and also play football, running back Zander Lewis of Corona Centennial received a last-minute scholarship offer from Virginia Military Institute and signed Wednesday. —Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026

Under Kemp’s plan, $300 million would fund an endowment supporting the scholarships while $25 million would go directly to scholarship awards. —Adam Beam, AJC.com, 5 Feb. 2026

This dynamic – the temptation to close on a narrative before the evidence warrants it – seen most recently in the Homeland Security secretary’s assertions, echoes long-standing insights in intelligence scholarship and formal analytic standards. —Brian O'Neill, The Conversation, 5 Feb. 2026