as in genius
formal
someone who knows a lot about many different things
She is rightly regarded as something of a polymath in her extensive knowledge of all the earth sciences.
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Dissimilar Words
variants
or polymathic
as in erudite
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of polymath
Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 16 Feb. 2026
From science fairs to college labs For someone whose work could transform medicine, Liu, 52, is understated — an introverted polymath driven by curiosity.
—Carolyn Y. Johnson, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2026
Famous failures include Roger Moore, the suavest James Bond, and Stephen Fry, Britain’s most famous polymath.
—Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
Joseph, who designs educational games and co-founded the Games for Change Festival, is a polymath himself.
—Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for polymath
Noun
In striving to be both a character study of a dissatisfied sommelier and a picaresque tale of ambition in São Paulo’s gentrified districts, director Gabe Klinger fails to land the emotional reality of his eponymous lead character, Isabel (the film‘s co-writer and Brazilian polymath, Marina Person).
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 16 Feb. 2026
From science fairs to college labs For someone whose work could transform medicine, Liu, 52, is understated — an introverted polymath driven by curiosity.
—Carolyn Y. Johnson, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2026
Famous failures include Roger Moore, the suavest James Bond, and Stephen Fry, Britain’s most famous polymath.
—Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
Joseph, who designs educational games and co-founded the Games for Change Festival, is a polymath himself.
—Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for polymath
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polymath
Noun
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My high school basketball coach was, depending on the day, either a motivational genius or a certified madman.—
Mark Glende,
Twin Cities,
27 Mar. 2026
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If Hafley can get all three to meet or exceed their draft-day expectations, the rebuild zooms way ahead of the curve, and Hafley and his staff look like coaching geniuses.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The dazzlingly witty and erudite script, by Robert Kaplow, is nominated for Best Original Screenplay; Hawke, who is rightly nominated for Best Actor, delivers one of his richest and most surprising performances.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
11 Mar. 2026
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Enrigue is an erudite, charismatic raconteur—the sort who will tell you the most abject story with a wink—and his novel distills a byzantine swirl of historical events through the lives of a handful of very colorful characters.—
Carolina A. Miranda,
The Atlantic,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Also appearing on the album are American composer Elliot Cole on synthesizer, French composer Benoit Rolland on electro-acoustics and Bangladeshi tabla virtuoso Mir Naqibul Islam.—
Arts Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
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The popular hits will be performed by a 20-piece orchestra, with arrangements written by Juilliard cello virtuoso Dave Eggar and conductor Chuck Palmer.—
Hema Sivanandam,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The turbulence of the past year brings to mind the sourcing strain of the 2020 pandemic—and the ways companies became more legally literate almost overnight as a matter of survival.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
24 Mar. 2026
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With the help of her best friend Tatum (Rose McGowan), boyfriend Billy (Skeet Ulrich), and cine-literate nerds Randy (Jamie Kennedy) and Stu (Matthew Lillard), Sidney sets out to determine who’s behind the mask.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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This one just happens to involve wizards, goblins, and one savage, half-blind dragon.—
Séamas O'Reilly,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Potterheads across the globe will instantly recognize Harry’s not-so-homely house on Privet Drive, his cramped excuse of a bedroom and the endless disdain oozing from the young wizard’s unloving aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley.—
Charlotte Reck,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Land acknowledgments, protest movements, scholarly conversations, the UN themed decade, and the Indigenous Literature category on Lit Hub all speak to that.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Acuña contributed chapters in dozens of anthologies and scholarly texts and wrote numerous book reviews, several children’s books, scholarly articles and opinion pieces in academic journals, magazines, listservs and newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times.—
Dorany Pineda,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The five-day festival includes an eclectic mix of talks from leading writers, thinkers and speakers.—
Irenie Forshaw,
TheWeek,
26 Mar. 2026
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Supporters say introductory courses had become too focused on contemporary social-justice frameworks and that the new standards restore an emphasis on classical thinkers, empirical methods and a broader range of perspectives.—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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While students are surrounded by technology, teachers say that exposure alone is not building the kind of skills needed for academic or professional environments.—
Darlin Tillery,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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Wyzant provides academic tutoring services, which allow tutors to establish their own hourly rates that range between $25 and $100.—
Kathy Kristof,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Polymath.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polymath. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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