encyclopedic
adjective
en·cy·clo·pe·dic
in-ˌsī-klə-ˈpē-dik 
: of, relating to, or suggestive of an encyclopedia or its methods of treating or covering a subject : comprehensive
an encyclopedic mind
an encyclopedic collection of armor
Did you know?
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.
Examples of encyclopedic in a Sentence
She published an encyclopedic study of ancient Egypt.
The event was described in encyclopedic detail.
his almost encyclopedic knowledge of movies
Recent Examples on the Web
The 15-year-old had an encyclopedic knowledge of New York City’s subway system and dreamed of becoming a train operator.
—
Dave Smith, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
Critics of 1990 wanted another encyclopedic novel after seventeen years of silence, and big books had become popular in large thanks to the success of Gravity’s Rainbow, proving that men would rather read a 2,000 door-stopper novel than go to therapy.
—Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
There’s a moment in Martin Scorsese Directs, the 1990 American Masters episode on the filmmaker that played on PBS around the release of Goodfellas, where a gaggle of talking heads wax poetic about their friend and colleague’s encyclopedic knowledge of movies.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2025
Its collection of more than 70 kinds of agave distillates is encyclopedic and unparalleled in town.
—David Shortell, Travel + Leisure, 28 Sep. 2025
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Dave Smith, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
Critics of 1990 wanted another encyclopedic novel after seventeen years of silence, and big books had become popular in large thanks to the success of Gravity’s Rainbow, proving that men would rather read a 2,000 door-stopper novel than go to therapy.
—Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
There’s a moment in Martin Scorsese Directs, the 1990 American Masters episode on the filmmaker that played on PBS around the release of Goodfellas, where a gaggle of talking heads wax poetic about their friend and colleague’s encyclopedic knowledge of movies.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2025
Its collection of more than 70 kinds of agave distillates is encyclopedic and unparalleled in town.
—David Shortell, Travel + Leisure, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for encyclopedic
Cite this Entry
“Encyclopedic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encyclopedic. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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