erudite

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adjective er·u·dite \ ˈer-ə-ˌdīt , ˈer-yə- \

Definition of erudite

:having or showing knowledge that is gained by studying :possessing or displaying erudition

an erudite scholar

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eruditely

adverb

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Examples of erudite in a Sentence

He wasn't bashful about showing himself to be feverishly erudite, … terminally droll, and a wizard phrasemaker. —Susan Sontag, New Yorker, 18 & 25 June 2001
… an engaging fellow: erudite, entertaining, intolerant of trendiness and fearlessly old-fashioned. … He can turn a nice phrase, too. —Mordecai Richler, Wall Street Journal, 2 May 1995
He was well read, especially in the works of Kipling, a field in which Violet could give him a game, and from time to time they would exchange erudite letters about Kipling characters. —Anthony Powell, The Strangers All are Gone, 1982
the most erudite people in medical research attended the conference
an erudite lecture on the latest discoveries in astronomy

Recent Examples of erudite from the Web

A terrific travel writer Colin Thubron, who has written a great number of extremely erudite travel books, did one about China four years after that.

— lars brandle, Billboard, "Sinead O'Connor's Ex-Manager Speaks Out About Her Mental Health Troubles, Losing George Michael & More," 17 Aug. 2017
Just 120 students and one erudite educator’s curated list of 100 questions about history, geography, culture, civics, and mathematics.

— kevin riordan, Philly.com, "Mona Lisa was an artist, and other answers to a New Jersey professor's final test," 1 Aug. 2017
And though the characters may not be particularly erudite, Cohen's writing is filled with sharp turns of phrase and elegant rhythms.

— sarah begley, Time, "Review: Joshua Cohen's," 13 July 2017
REV’s production reduces one of literatures’s most poetic, erudite speakers to a babbling fool.

— tirdad derakhshani, Philly.com, "Hamlet in hysterics: REV Theatre Company disappoints at Laurel Hill Cemetery," 9 July 2017
There was always a sense of the erudite, a sense of humor, a real man inside the freakish body.

— greg cote, miamiherald, "Bosh’s Heat goodbye was gradual, overshadowed, but this gentleman-athlete earned our thanks," 5 July 2017
OUL presents erudite and impassioned lectures (and the occasional panel discussion) by academics and activists on a range of issues vital to old lefties and, especially now, to all of us.

— deanna isaacs, Chicago Reader, "Open University of the Left is free, liberal, and necessary," 22 June 2017
Such insights give a glimpse into the lively, open-minded and erudite story that Lawrence tells.

— patrick t. reardon, chicagotribune.com, "How do you translate the Quran? New book digs into history," 20 June 2017
This framing of grief as an endurance sport underpins The Long Run, which is an elegant and erudite jumble of different things.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "Running Through the Pain," 12 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'erudite.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Erudite derives via Middle English "erudite" from Latin eruditus, the past participle of the verb erudire, meaning "to instruct." A closer look at that verb shows that it is formed by combining the prefix e-, meaning "missing" or "absent," with the adjective "rudis," which means "rude" or "ignorant" and is also the source of our word rude. We typically use the word rude to mean "discourteous" or "uncouth" but it can also mean "lacking refinement" or "uncivilized"; someone who is erudite, therefore, has been transformed from a roughened or uninformed state to a polished and knowledgeable one through a devotion to learning.