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

Thomas’s account of Progressivism as a malign force threatening individual liberty echoes an argument developed by scholars at the conservative Claremont Institute. —Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 21 May 2026

The book begins as a British scholar named Jeremy Pordage is being chauffeured north along the California coast from Los Angeles to stay with Stoyte. —Literary Hub, 21 May 2026

In addition, Future Legends continues to support scholars into post-graduate fields such as medicine, law, the sciences, and finance for those who endeavor to achieve a higher degree, the news release stated. —News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 May 2026

Many of the speakers pushed forth the narrative that the United States was founded explicitly as a Christian nation, a Christian Nationalist framing of American history that is disputed by many scholars. —Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 19 May 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
• choler
• collar
• crawler
• dollar
• faller
• haller
• hauler
• holler
• smaller
• squalor
• taller

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