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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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
-
Sliced bread, the wheel, the wrap dress—some genius was responsible for all of them.—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
6 Jan. 2026
-
This genius quiche method trades the rolling and fluting pie dough fuss for a simple pat-in-the-pan crust.—
Maggie Meyer Glisan,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Because even his emails are literary, this one was erudite and friendly.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Someone who seems frighteningly erudite might, at this very moment, be kicking themselves for being unable to read the French canon in its original language.—
Emma Sarappo,
The Atlantic,
2 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Within the special, Erivo will perform a song accompanied by Goldblum, a virtuoso jazz pianist in his own right, while Yang, Bode, and Slater will perform a song together.—
Jenzia Burgos,
StyleCaster,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Palamides, as a physical-comedy virtuoso, loves mess—there’s a splash zone near the front, with audience members wearing plastic ponchos.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The house in which I had been raised was literate but not artistic.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Unsurprisingly to the economically literate, rent prices went down and more properties became available to rent.—
Agustina Vergara Cid,
Oc Register,
25 Oct. 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
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Much scholarly attention is also paid to the science of electrical storage, enabling a body to function as a permanently recharged battery, and to the use of an enormous lightning-rod mechanism, which will harness lightning from atop an isolated tower, where Victor conducts his experiments.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
28 Oct. 2025
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The study, published on the open-access scholarly article archive, arxiv, has not yet been peer-reviewed.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Peter is a visual thinker, a photographic talker, describing his surroundings with a precise and artistic eye.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Greek Revival Greece and its ancient thinkers play a big role.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
What wasn't being collected are other research observations that are part of every hurricane season, including experiments conducted by NOAA's Hurricane Research Division and its academic partners, who were able to pay their scientists who flew with NOAA during Melissa.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
9 Nov. 2025
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Hann and Bich were strict and monitored not just Jennifer's academic performance, but also her extracurricular activities and social life.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Polymath.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polymath. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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