as in geniuses
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
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 polymaths
Leonardo was one of history’s greatest polymaths, filling notebooks with designs across a range of disciplines, including flying machines that wouldn't be realized for centuries.
—
ABC News, 9 June 2026
Private Money, Public Breakthroughs To call Saad Bhamla and his seven co-recipients polymaths is more than flattery.
—John Drake, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
ABC News, 9 June 2026
Private Money, Public Breakthroughs To call Saad Bhamla and his seven co-recipients polymaths is more than flattery.
—John Drake, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polymaths
Noun
-
Drama of the nerds and the geniuses.—
Bethanne Patrick,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
-
Special shout-out to the writers’ room for giving us a high-tension cold open and then segueing immediately post-credits to the Titan equivalent of a family road trip where Mom and Dad are pedantic geniuses arguing over what route to take to the beach.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
Other guitar virtuosos might crave at least a little downtime between concluding a Las Vegas concert residency with one band and launching a national tour with another band, not but Joe Satriani.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Suffused with dread and bathed in reverb, the record captures two virtuosos at their most vulnerable.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
At the same time, fencing is also touting is status as an Ivy League favorite, a discipline that has historically appealed to artists and egghead-y types including engineers, architects, finance and technical wizards, as well as artists.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
28 May 2026
-
Warm up those wands, wizards, because the world of Harry Potter is hoping to cast a marketing spell over the metro area this summer.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
The definition of Black motherhood is an expansive one when drawn from the creative archive of Black feminist thinkers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
-
State officials hope the investment in youth robotics will help support the next generation of thinkers and builders in Connecticut and sustain an industry that accounts for more than a tenth of the state’s GDP.—
P.R. Lockhart,
Hartford Courant,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
Women are compelled to suppress their desires, intellects, and emotions in Gilead.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2026
-
While the likes of Philo and Trotter have expanded upon the idea by prioritizing people whose intellects align with their brand values, Jacquemus takes it to another level.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Black intellectuals such as Ralph Ellison knew this, too, despite living at a time when the lynchings of Black people were still a regular feature of American life.—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
8 June 2026
-
The demonization of minorities was nothing new, of course, but New York in the Seventies birthed a reactionary movement that was supported by politicians, public intellectuals, elites, and working people alike.—
Kevin Lozano,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
If your garden is anything like mine, your poppies have petered out and your sages are subsiding.—
Pedro Moura,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
-
Find a hot, sunny spot in the garden for evergreen sages like Southern Living's 'Killer Cranberry', which is pictured here.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Polymaths.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polymaths. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
