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
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
One of the world’s first calculators, devised in 1642 by the French polymath Blaise Pascal, was pulled from auction — at least for now.
—Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 20 Nov. 2025
O’Dell — producer, director, full-time nightlife polymath.
—Merle Ginsberg, HollywoodReporter, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for polymath
Noun
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
One of the world’s first calculators, devised in 1642 by the French polymath Blaise Pascal, was pulled from auction — at least for now.
—Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 20 Nov. 2025
O’Dell — producer, director, full-time nightlife polymath.
—Merle Ginsberg, HollywoodReporter, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for polymath
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polymath
Noun
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Fun pink-and-red dark spot stickers that erase hyperpigmentation and look good doing it; an innovative perfume milk launch that packs skin care and long-wear benefits; a genius frizzy hair product for taming flyways on gusty mornings; and so many more swoon-worthy staples.—
Grace McCarty,
Glamour,
1 Mar. 2026
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But Stravinsky’s genius shattered all norms and expectations, and the folks that filled the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées expecting another fairy-tale night at the ballet (The Firebird had recently been a massive hit) weren’t prepared for the gut-level assault.—
Luis Palomares,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The erudite Lookingglass, which featured famously good-looking actors and looked to such influences as the Pilobolus dance company and Cirque du Soleil, added a crucial third leg to the city’s cultural stool.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
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Her erudite digressions and granular readings add up to a kind of literary procedural.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Beside me stood Laura, our trumpet virtuoso, a freshman who played with silky sophistication.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
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Just like any virtuoso, Greenberg needs a stage.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
My grandmother, who was the only literate one in our family, would write strange musings.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
23 Feb. 2026
-
This is a period that some people call post-literate.—
Derek Thompson,
The Atlantic,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
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There was David Gamson, a 24-year-old electronics wizard and composer-in-training who helped to shape Cupid and Psyche 85’s extravagant layers of sampled and synthesized sound, a tapestry of iridescent edges whose startling complexity was inspired in part by his interest in classical counterpoint.—
Andy Cush,
Pitchfork,
15 Feb. 2026
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For years, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has been a wizard at designing blitzes that fool quarterbacks.—
Sam McDowell
February 5,
Kansas City Star,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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In December, Summers was dealt a lifetime ban from the American Economic Association, a nonprofit scholarly association dedicated to economic research, over his Epstein ties.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Feb. 2026
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In December, Summers was dealt a lifetime ban from the American Economic Association, a nonprofit scholarly association dedicated to economic research, over his Epstein ties.—
Collin Binkley,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Among the iconic polymath’s many (many) achievements, the 15th century thinker is famous for devising an angled contraption to help his experiments exploring friction physics.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
25 Feb. 2026
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To get a sense for how some of our greatest thinkers, performers, and athletes unwind in their moments outside the public eye, read on for a look at their domestic lives in photos.—
Shelli Nicole,
Architectural Digest,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Mimicking anti-Vietnam War demonstrators, students erected the tent encampment to call for Columbia to divest from its academic ties to Israel and its investments in weapons manufacturers and tech companies that do business with Israel’s government.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026
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Two of the most respected professors—an academic power couple—invited me to their home for dinner.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Polymath.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polymath. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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