Entry Word: wisdom

Function: noun

Meaning: 1 the ability to understand inner qualities or relationships <with age and experience comes wisdom—hopefully> <neither book learning nor simple intelligence should be confused with wisdom>

Synonyms discernment, insight, perception, perceptiveness, sagaciousness, sagacity, sageness, sapience

Related Words acuity, acumen, astuteness, penetration, perspicacity, sensitivity, understanding; appreciation, apprehension, comprehension, grasp; braininess, brain(s), brightness, brilliance, canniness, cleverness, gray matter, intellect, intelligence, judgment (or judgement), mentality, power, reason, sense, smartness, wit; discrimination, judiciousness, prudence, sanity; logic, rationality

Near Antonyms density, dullness (or dulness), obtuseness; brainlessness, folly, foolishness, idiocy, imbecility, mindlessness, silliness, simpleness, stupidity, witlessness; illogic, irrationality, unreasonableness, unsoundness; craziness, insanity, lunacy, madness; preposterousness, senselessness, silliness, zaniness

2 a body of facts learned by study or experience <shared some of the wisdom that he had accumulated over 20 years as an oceanographer> — see knowledge 1
3 the ability to make intelligent decisions especially in everyday matters <had overstayed her welcome and lacked the wisdom to know it> — see common sense