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

• 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

The Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund followed a few years later, financing study trips to Russia and hosting international conferences with journalists, activists, and scholars. —Tetiana Kotelnykova, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025

The emerging discipline of geomythology is coming into its own, as scientists, historians, and other scholars see the rich potential for understanding how humans have made sense of their observations of nature over time. —Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025

The students and scholars nurtured in this ancient way will not be timid. —MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025

Last month, a federal judge in Boston found that the government violated the constitutional rights of protesters, including Khalil, in its effort to deport international students and scholars expressing pro-Palestinian views. —Ely Brown, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2025

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
• collar
• crawler
• dollar
• faller
• haller
• hauler
• holler
• smaller
• squalor
• taller
• trawler

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