erudite

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

|Updated on: 12 Jul 2018

Examples: erudite in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

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

But the series is clear about how much of a problem the eccentric, bisexual, erudite Peterson is for the jurors.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "The Queasy Verdict of The Staircase," 26 June 2018
Prine's long been a critical favorite, and early on caught the attention of esteemed peers including Kris Kristofferson, who was among the first to champion the erudite songs that allowed Prine to quit his day job as a mail carrier in Chicago.

— randy lewis, latimes.com, "John Prine is still singing about heaven and mortality — and sounding as vital as ever," 16 May 2018
The book, which followed a young girl maneuvering an erudite, perhaps dangerous high-school experience, won literary prizes and became a New York Times bestseller.

— adam rathe, Town & Country, "Marisha Pessl's Neverworld Wake Is the Preppy Thriller Everyone Will Be Reading This Summer," 8 June 2018
Take away those erudite writing-program authors in their tasteful cardigans.

— deirdre donahue, USA TODAY, "Our review: Anthony Bourdain's 'Kitchen Confidential' captured restaurants' demented glory," 8 June 2018
If lovers of erudite 2000s indie rock aren’t satisfied after taking in sets from Dirty Projectors (3:10 p.m.) and the Decemberists (6:05 p.m.), then the proggy, folky goodness of Fleet Foxes (7:55 p.m.) ought to do the trick.

— terence cawley, BostonGlobe.com, "Too many choices at Boston Calling? Here’s some help.," 23 May 2018
In Tom Stoppard’s wildly erudite historical comedy, great men dash in and out of a Wildean romp loosely based on coincidence.

— alexis soloski, New York Times, "15 Plays and Musicals to Go to in NYC This Weekend," 19 Apr. 2018
Leave it to the erudite Pau Gasol to place an exclamation point between the ellipses.

— k.c. johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Pau Gasol bolsters Becky Hammon's NBA coaching candidacy with eloquent essay," 11 May 2018
The end was abrupt, a tidy sweep at the hands of Detroit and captain Steve Yzerman, who now faces Washington again as the Lightning’s erudite general manager.

— alex prewitt, SI.com, "The Washington Capitals Busted Their Conference Finals Ghosts," 10 May 2018

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.