scholar

noun

schol·​ar ˈskä-lər 

1

: a person who attends a school or studies under a teacher : pupil

2

a

: a person who has done advanced study in a special field

b

: a learned person

3

: a holder of a scholarship

Synonyms of scholar

• teacher
• sage
• pundit
• savant
• wizard

Examples of scholar in a Sentence

She's a renowned scholar of African-American history.

scholars have long debated whether there is ever such a thing as a truly selfless act

Recent Examples on the Web

Historians, scholars and philosophers are stepping in to offer some solutions and warnings. — Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026

Because of the lack of extensive historical records, folklore historians say true scarecrow scholars are scarce. — Victoria Hoffmann, Christian Science Monitor, 31 Oct. 2026

According to the scholar Patrick Weil, this was the most of any democratic country in that era. — Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2026

The lineup, focused on mid-career filmmakers and teams, was selected by a three-person committee consisting of writer and producer Suzy Gillet, film scholar Jelena Mišeljić and writer and director Ivana Mladenović. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English scoler, from Old English scolere & Anglo-French escoler, from Medieval Latin scholaris, from Late Latin, of a school, from Latin schola school

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing scholar

• Rhodes scholar

Rhymes for scholar

• caller
• choler
• collar
• crawler
• dollar
• faller
• haller
• hauler
• holler
• smaller
• squalor
• taller

Kids Definition

scholar

noun

schol·​ar ˈskäl-ər 

1

: a person who attends a school or studies under a teacher : pupil

2

a

: a person who has done advanced study in a special area

b

: a learned person

3

: a holder of a scholarship

scholarly adjective