polymaths

noun

plural of polymath
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polymaths
  1. geniuses
  2. virtuosos
  3. wizards
  4. thinkers
  5. intellects
  6. intellectuals
  7. sages
Noun
  • In their place are flawed geniuses and idiosyncratic personalities thrust together in the dregs of intelligence services, operating like a dysfunctional family under its disreputable patriarch.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Broadly speaking, these kinds of stories — powered by a stop-them-before-they-kill-again clock, making their antagonists out to be finicky geniuses or horror movie monsters instead of opportunistic mediocrities — strike me as a low form of fiction.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2026
Definition of geniuses
Noun
  • The decade featured some of the most revered and celebrated virtuosos to ever walk the planet, both critically and commercially.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of virtuosos
Noun
  • This means the team members don’t need to be tech wizards to build custom reference material.
    — K.H. Koehler, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Players can also customize a walking castle and investigate a mystery involving missing wizards.
    — Matt Gardner, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of wizards
Noun
  • As Hythlodaeus remarks, the political thinkers of the time would dismiss the whole thing as nonsense.
    — Carline Tromp, The Dial, 18 Aug. 2026
  • This was familiar territory for Putin and, indeed, for many Russian thinkers over the years.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of thinkers
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
Definition of intellects
Noun
  • Not in the esoteric way that speaks to intellectuals and insiders.
    — Robin Givhan, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Recent developments have made new an old idea that emerged among nineteenth-century intellectuals in tsarist Russia who rebelled against the elite fixation with the West.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of intellectuals
Noun
  • Look to Rainbow Swiss chard, multicolor lettuces, purple-leaf basil, dusky blue kales or cabbages, and variegated perennial thymes and sages.
    — Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Black sages have shown that Black rage will not be silenced; rather, it is directed toward creative expression.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 July 2026
Definition of sages

Browse Nearby Words

polymath
polymaths
polyp
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Polymaths.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polymaths. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of devolve

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All