sophomore

1 of 2

noun

soph·​o·​more ˈsäf-ˌmȯr 

also ˈsȯf-

or ˈsä-fə-

or ˈsȯ-fə-

: a student in the second year at college or a 4-year secondary school

sophomore

2 of 2

adjective

: being or associated with the second in a series

their sophomore album

Examples of sophomore in a Sentence

Noun

She's a sophomore in high school.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

That’s a feat Ilginis hadn’t duplicated until Thursday when the sophomore midfielder scored four goals in an 8-1 win over Richards. —Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 22 Apr. 2026

The pair met in their sophomore year of high school at Gordon Tech, now called DePaul College Prep, when Fuggiti was a new student. —Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 21 Apr. 2026

Adjective

The first time Patrick Thaw saw his University of Michigan friends together since sophomore year ended was bittersweet. —Makiya Seminera, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026

Aguilera was a sophomore political science major at Texas A&M who would have turned 20 years old on Jan. 25. —Annasofia Scheve, San Antonio Express-News, 4 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

earlier sophy mor, soph-mor, probably from sophom, sophem, sophyme (early Modern English variants of sophism) + -or entry 1; later reanalyzed as Greek sophós "clever, wise" + -o- + mōrós "foolish, stupid"

First Known Use

Noun

1688, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1953, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sophomore

• albacore
• alongshore
• antiwar
• anymore
• blastopore
• carnivore
• commodore
• dinosaur
• evermore
• furthermore
• guarantor
• herbivore

Kids Definition

sophomore

noun

soph·​o·​more

ˈsäf-ˌmō(ə)r, 

-ˌmȯ(ə)r;

ˈsäf-ᵊm-ˌō(ə)r, 

-ˌȯ(ə)r

: a student in his or her second year at a 4-year high school or college