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
George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2025
Last night on Instagram, the polymath poet, culture worker, and song stylist announced a new literary project.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025
Even during his glittering publishing career at i-D, W, and the American, Italian and British editions of Vogue, the fashion polymath remained a stylist and consultant — staging runway shows and even directing a film — such was his London fashion-world reknown.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
The British polymath Lewis Fry Richardson was the first to try his hand at using the laws of physics to model the weather system.
—Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for polymath
Noun
Genre-leaping music polymath Jon Batiste, who won five Grammys in 2022 – including Album of the Year – was not nominated in that top category this year.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2025
Last night on Instagram, the polymath poet, culture worker, and song stylist announced a new literary project.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025
Even during his glittering publishing career at i-D, W, and the American, Italian and British editions of Vogue, the fashion polymath remained a stylist and consultant — staging runway shows and even directing a film — such was his London fashion-world reknown.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
The British polymath Lewis Fry Richardson was the first to try his hand at using the laws of physics to model the weather system.
—Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for polymath
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polymath
Noun
-
Michael Malone, during his Nuggets days, was a genius at creating enemies, of underlining slights that may or may not have ever been real.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
13 Jan. 2026
-
There’s even a Radiohead art-rock mantra that seems to come directly from Kelson’s mad-genius mind.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
To start with the movie’s strongest asset, Fiennes is magnificent — sinewy and feral in appearance but erudite in manner, his isolation and years of living rough having done little to curb the magniloquence of a posh education.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Because even his emails are literary, this one was erudite and friendly.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
They were accompanied by vocal virtuosos Lucius and blues-rock rippers Judith Hill and Eric Krasno, each fixtures in the local music community trying to rebuild itself in the wake of the Eaton fire.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Geese, a quartet of young rock virtuosos from Brooklyn, capture the vibe shift in freaky fidelity.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
12 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
That digitally literate generation then built world-beating technology companies.—
Oscar Täckström,
Fortune,
3 Jan. 2026
-
Does that mean that people are less literate in general?—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
9 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Who were the ad wizards who came up with that one?—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
3 Jan. 2026
-
This wizard doesn’t even use a curtain.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
3 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Dunn wanted the property to be used as a scholarly and artistic retreat.—
Mary Divine,
Twin Cities,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Rather than relying on decorative excess, the library’s pietra serena framework underscores its role as a working scholarly space.—
Navya Verma,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Balancing beautifully the perspectives, burdens, contributions, and challenges of Utah’s top political leaders, agricultural providers, and scientific thinkers, The Lake captures the intricate complexity that binds these communities together.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
15 Jan. 2026
-
There have been better strategists, more creative thinkers and maybe even greater motivators.—
Jerry Brewer,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
While Block is in the fourth grade, after his family moves from Indiana to Texas, his mother withdraws him from school, convinced that a traditional academic environment will stifle his budding writerly gifts.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
-
With the funds, the university will build new student housing, a new student union, research labs, academic centers and a new arena.—
Austin American Statesman,
Austin American Statesman,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Polymath.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polymath. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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