scholarship

noun

schol·​ar·​ship ˈskä-lər-ˌship 

1

: a grant-in-aid to a student (as by a college or foundation)

2

: the character, qualities, activity, or attainments of a scholar : learning

3

: a fund of knowledge and learning

drawing on the scholarship of the ancients

Synonyms of scholarship

• literacy
• knowledge
• education
• learning

Choose the Right Synonym for scholarship

knowledge, learning, erudition, scholarship mean what is or can be known by an individual or by humankind.

knowledge applies to facts or ideas acquired by study, investigation, observation, or experience.

rich in the knowledge of human nature

learning applies to knowledge acquired especially through formal, often advanced, schooling.

a book that demonstrates vast learning

erudition strongly implies the acquiring of profound, recondite, or bookish learning.

an erudition unusual even in a scholar

scholarship implies the possession of learning characteristic of the advanced scholar in a specialized field of study or investigation.

a work of first-rate literary scholarship

Examples of scholarship in a Sentence

She got a scholarship to Yale University.

The organization is offering five $5,000 scholarships.

The essay is a work of serious scholarship.

The book is about his life and scholarship.

Recent Examples on the Web

His only other offer was a partial academic scholarship to Drake. —Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026

Campaign Manager 2018 and 2020 in NC House District 90; serves on board and volunteers with separate local non-profits focusing on disaster relief, harm/risk reduction in communities battling addiction, and minority scholarship. —Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 6 Feb. 2026

Keep in mind Black people were not welcomed as students at white colleges regardless of their abilities during the 1950s and 1960s, but Bonita’s grades were so high that Central Connecticut State University gave her a scholarship and honored her with an endowment scholarship in her name. —Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 6 Feb. 2026

In California the organization provides college mentorship and scholarship programs in Cal State Los Angeles which will be expanding to two more campuses Los Angeles Trade Tech Community College and Los Angeles Southwest College. —Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado february 6, Sacbee.com, 6 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1536, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing scholarship

• football scholarship
• full scholarship

Rhymes for scholarship

• authorship
• battleship
• censorship
• chairmanship
• chieftainship
• comradeship
• consulship
• craftsmanship
• dealership
• draftsmanship
• fellowship
• fingertip

Kids Definition

scholarship

noun

schol·​ar·​ship ˈskäl-ər-ˌship 

1

: money given (as by a college) to a student to help pay for further education

2

: the character, qualities, or achievements of a scholar