as in knowledge
the understanding and information gained from being educated a scientist of impressive erudition but with a down-to-earth manner

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How does the noun erudition differ from other similar words?

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

an erudition unusual even in a scholar

When might knowledge be a better fit than erudition?

While the synonyms knowledge and erudition are close in meaning, knowledge applies to facts or ideas acquired by study, investigation, observation, or experience.

rich in the knowledge of human nature

When can learning be used instead of erudition?

The meanings of learning and erudition largely overlap; however, learning applies to knowledge acquired especially through formal, often advanced, schooling.

a book that demonstrates vast learning

When could scholarship be used to replace erudition?

In some situations, the words scholarship and erudition are roughly equivalent. However, 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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of erudition That Justice Souter, in truth, does not is revealed by the many articles published since his passing, which tend to discuss his erudition, decency, and wit, and even his lunch, exercise, sartorial habits, and other charming New Englander quirks—but not so much in the way of influential writings. Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 15 May 2025 Her meticulous research and historical erudition are legendary, and her belief in the magic of fashion is unwavering. Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 30 Apr. 2025 No erudition added to five paragraphs of very carefully worded, almost mollifying, explanation? Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 12 Apr. 2025 Decorated with frescoes, the complex draws inspiration from Greek culture, emphasizing themes of leisure and erudition. Fox News, 18 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for erudition
Recent Examples of Synonyms for erudition
Noun
  • The Capital Market Authority has asked several companies planning IPOs in the coming months to allocate 30% of the shares on offer to retail investors, three people with knowledge of the plans said.
    Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Whether the projects were promoting Indigenous languages to better understand their food cultures or sustainably tending local ecosystems, grant reviewers found a constant in their peers’ embrace of past cultural knowledge to solve today’s problems.
    Fortune, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Occasionally, McMahon has spoken positively of public schools — for example, praising some for literacy gains.
    Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Their paths to property blocked by law and custom, and their literacy limited by education and expectation, their lives left fewer traces.
    Jane Kamensky, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The Administration also scrutinized schools for things like offering race-specific scholarships and for charging in-state tuition to undocumented students, arguing that these benefits disadvantage American students.
    Emma Green, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
  • The scholarship debuted during homecoming weekend, with an accompanying performance by Smith at a fundraising luncheon with the music school’s rock band and later at the halftime show of the Gophers football game against the Purdue Boilermakers.
    Sophia Arndt, Twin Cities, 13 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • An informal education professional, Eitan spent part of his captivity with Yair, and the brothers reportedly fled through tunnels during Israeli airstrikes.
    Itay Stern, NPR, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne lost her job as education minister, replaced by civil servant Edouard Geffray.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 12 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Developed by AheadForm Technology, the robot offers up to 30 degrees of freedom, powered by a precise control system and an advanced AI learning algorithm.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2025
  • The Americans with Disabilities Act, which was updated in 2010, requires schools to provide equal access to programs for students with disabilities and to eliminate barriers to their learning.
    Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 15 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Erudition.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/erudition. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.

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