polymath

noun

poly·​math ˈpä-lē-ˌmath How to pronounce polymath (audio)
: a person of encyclopedic learning
polymath adjective
or polymathic

Examples of polymath in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Genre-leaping music polymath Jon Batiste, who won five Grammys in 2022 – including Album of the Year – was not nominated in that top category this year. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2025 Last night on Instagram, the polymath poet, culture worker, and song stylist announced a new literary project. Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025 Even during his glittering publishing career at i-D, W, and the American, Italian and British editions of Vogue, the fashion polymath remained a stylist and consultant — staging runway shows and even directing a film — such was his London fashion-world reknown. Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025 The British polymath Lewis Fry Richardson was the first to try his hand at using the laws of physics to model the weather system. Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for polymath

Word History

Etymology

Greek polymathēs very learned, from poly- + manthanein to learn — more at mathematical

First Known Use

1624, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of polymath was in 1624

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Polymath.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polymath. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.

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