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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
variants
or polymathic
as in erudite
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 polymath
Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2026
Potter and artistic polymath Kawai Kanjiro was a key figure in the 20th-century Mingei folk art movement.
—Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 3 Apr. 2026
Pop polymath Dua Lipa is adding another line to her ever-expanding résume — this time as a literary tastemaker.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 30 Mar. 2026
Mixed and mastered by Berlin polymath Rashad Becker, Silent Way maintains an underlying drive while exploring efflorescent top-line melodies and loops.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for polymath
Noun
That suspect is the reclusive polymath Nick Szabo who ticks all of the same boxes as Back and whose initials are conveniently the inverse of Satoshi Nakamoto.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2026
Potter and artistic polymath Kawai Kanjiro was a key figure in the 20th-century Mingei folk art movement.
—Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 3 Apr. 2026
Pop polymath Dua Lipa is adding another line to her ever-expanding résume — this time as a literary tastemaker.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 30 Mar. 2026
Mixed and mastered by Berlin polymath Rashad Becker, Silent Way maintains an underlying drive while exploring efflorescent top-line melodies and loops.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for polymath
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polymath
Noun
-
Most of us are slaves to Teams in our day jobs, and the inclusion of the call tone is a work of sadistic (and entirely on-brand) genius.—
Matt Gardner,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
-
Plus, read on to find the genius Amazon products that’ll help improve your airport security experience, including passport holders, handy tech organizers, and more.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
Original host Dave Garroway was an erudite guide who shaped the mix of news, lifestyle and human interest stories that still define morning news programs.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
10 June 2026
-
The work of the reclusive, forbiddingly erudite author turns out to be perfect easy-listening material.—
Namara Smith,
New Yorker,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
The German drum virtuoso wasn’t deeply familiar with the band’s repertoire when Lee and Lifeson first brought her to Toronto to jam.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
14 June 2026
-
Laviolette, whose only full season outside the head coaching ranks in the past quarter-century came during Kopitar’s final campaign, lamented not being able to work with the two-way virtuoso.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
Henry sees the change as an unfair burden to senior riders who are not as technologically literate and low-income residents who don’t have bank accounts to link to the phone app or a credit card.—
Dylan Lysen
June 11,
Kansas City Star,
11 June 2026
-
Stephen Sondheim shows are famously literate, emotionally layered and dramatically complex.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
If the equivalent story were set in 2025, Marty might be a video game wizard or a sudoku samurai.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
1 Dec. 2025
-
The Party’s sweet, sensitive wizard, Will (who is definitely crushing on Mike) is taken into the Upside Down at the start of Stranger Things.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
24 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The women had been close friends while studying for their doctorates some years earlier, but Catherine has since grown resentful of Leonora’s career, and dismissive of women whose scholarly ambitions come before marital subservience.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
-
Astrology, a pursuit that hovers in the nebulous space between science and storytelling, is not exactly a robust academic field, and LaFaive had no scholarly studies of Goodman’s life or work to consult.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Diogenes the dog philosopher was not—could not have been—the cat, or the horse, or the donkey, or the bird philosopher; there is no equivalent thinker for other species.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
-
Are you known as a doer—who answers questions, fixes problems and follows instructions—or a strategic thinker who goes a step beyond the immediate issue?—
Megan Poinski,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Newton reportedly stole a computer, and there were allegations of academic misconduct.—
Mac Engel
June 15,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 June 2026
-
That letter has now been signed by about 100 cybersecurity professionals from companies including Nvidia, Adobe, Zoom, Google, Anaplan, and Sophos, as well as some academic cybersecurity researchers.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Polymath.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polymath. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
