encyclopedic
adjective
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In Greek, paidaea meant not simply "child-rearing" but also "education", and kyklios meant "general;" thus, an encyclopedia is a work broad enough to provide a kind of general education. The world's most eminent general encyclopedia, the Encyclopaedia Britannica, is a huge work that covers every field of human knowledge. But encyclopedic doesn't have to refer to books; it's often used to describe the wide-ranging knowledge that certain types of minds just can't stop acquiring.
Synonyms
Examples of encyclopedic in a Sentence
Elise Taylor, Vogue, 1 Aug. 2024
Yet the book, her first British best seller, was comprehensive and encyclopedic, ranging from meal planning to financial literacy and fuel conservation.
—Penelope Green, New York Times, 22 May 2024
Sure, there’s that adage about not judging a book by its cover, but when forced onto the same situational shelf, Strawn and Mildred are about as complementary as a novelty spell book keychain and 26 volumes in an encyclopedic tome.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 19 July 2024
What makes Prime Day's beauty deals different from other beauty sales is the wide — bordering on encyclopedic — range of brands, including everything from drugstore staples to luxury labels.
—Karina Hoshikawa, refinery29.com, 17 July 2024
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'encyclopedic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Encyclopedic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encyclopedic. Accessed 9 Sep. 2024.
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