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.
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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
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Drama of the nerds and the geniuses.—
Bethanne Patrick,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
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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
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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
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Suffused with dread and bathed in reverb, the record captures two virtuosos at their most vulnerable.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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At the time, Soros, along with the financiers Julian Robertson and Michael Steinhardt, defined the public image of hedge-fund managers as investment wizards who made fortunes through huge bets, contrarian calls, iron stomachs, and a willingness to operate close to—or over—the regulatory line.—
Gary Sernovitz,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
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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
Noun
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These days, those same thinkers describe their object of study as Unidentified Aerial Phenomena—and universities, governmental agencies, and independent groups are devoting serious resources to finally getting to the bottom of whether extraterrestrials really are out there.—
Erin Vanderhoof,
Vanity Fair,
19 June 2026
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Consolmagno’s reasoning helps explain why proof of extraterrestrial life hasn’t shaken the faith of many Catholic thinkers.—
Luis Parrales,
The Atlantic,
18 June 2026
Noun
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Women are compelled to suppress their desires, intellects, and emotions in Gilead.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2026
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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
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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
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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
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Giant agaves, lomandra, aeoniums, aloes, blue grasses and sages covered the slope from the house to the pool.—
Nicole Sours Larson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 June 2026
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With encouragement from Kincaid, Lee, 49, began by planting small sages that would grow quickly and help prevent erosion, since water, mulch and rain often ran down the hillside to the sidewalk.—
Lisa Boone,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Polymaths.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polymaths. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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