Synonyms of scholarship

scholarship

noun

ˈskä-lər-ˌship 

as in literacy

the understanding and information gained from being educated

the historian's new book displays a remarkable level of scholarship

Synonyms & Similar Words

• literacy
• knowledge
• education
• learning
• erudition
• culture
• learnedness
• enlightenment
• edification
• reading
• pedantry
• bookishness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignorance
• illiteracy
• illiterateness
• functional illiteracy

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun scholarship differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of scholarship are erudition, knowledge, and learning. While all these words mean "what is or can be known by an individual or by humankind," 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

When might erudition be a better fit than scholarship?

The synonyms erudition and scholarship are sometimes interchangeable, but erudition strongly implies the acquiring of profound, recondite, or bookish learning.

an erudition unusual even in a scholar

Where would knowledge be a reasonable alternative to scholarship?

Although the words knowledge and scholarship have much in common, knowledge applies to facts or ideas acquired by study, investigation, observation, or experience.

rich in the knowledge of human nature

When is learning a more appropriate choice than scholarship?

The words learning and scholarship are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, learning applies to knowledge acquired especially through formal, often advanced, schooling.

a book that demonstrates vast learning

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of scholarship

The Hurricanes, though, did not offer the younger Blades a scholarship, and his father had a quick response when asked about the situation. —Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2025

My PhD was fully funded with tuition waivers and varying stipends per year from a combination of fellowships, scholarships, and teaching or research assistantships. —R29 Team, Refinery29, 22 Aug. 2025

The push for more students to live in downtown Hartford recently drew a round of corporate support, as a major insurer in the city donated $500,000 for housing scholarships. —Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 21 Aug. 2025

Breckenridge made her international debut in 1988 and Flanagan, who was drafted by the LA Stars in an early iteration of the WNBA, took up rugby in 1989 after the end of her college scholarship. —Peter Carline, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025