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

Gittelsohn, a painter who attended the now-shuttered San Francisco Art Institute in the 1970s, located across the street from the couple’s home, reached out to about 50 scholars and art experts about the origins of the bust. — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026

For example, antiquarian scholars introduced the erroneous notion that druids built stone circles—most notably Stonehenge—for their ceremonies, an idea that became embedded in the popular imagination during the 18th century. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026

Of course, as scholars like Winters wrote, this kind of oligarchy-hiding-in-plain-sight was part of the package of modern oligarchy—a kind of conscious cloaking that helped these figures rise in the first place, without any kind of public pushback. — Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026

Prominent conservative legal scholar Ilya Shapiro is listed as senior counsel. — ABC News, 12 Aug. 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