Synonyms of scholarship

scholarship

noun

ˈskä-lər-ˌship 

as in literacy

the understanding and information gained from being educated

the historian's new book displays a remarkable level of scholarship

Synonyms & Similar Words

• literacy
• knowledge
• education
• learning
• erudition
• culture
• learnedness
• enlightenment
• edification
• reading
• pedantry
• bookishness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignorance
• illiteracy
• illiterateness
• functional illiteracy

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun scholarship differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of scholarship are erudition, knowledge, and learning. While all these words mean "what is or can be known by an individual or by humankind," scholarship implies the possession of learning characteristic of the advanced scholar in a specialized field of study or investigation.

a work of first-rate literary scholarship

When might erudition be a better fit than scholarship?

The synonyms erudition and scholarship are sometimes interchangeable, but erudition strongly implies the acquiring of profound, recondite, or bookish learning.

an erudition unusual even in a scholar

Where would knowledge be a reasonable alternative to scholarship?

Although the words knowledge and scholarship have much in common, knowledge applies to facts or ideas acquired by study, investigation, observation, or experience.

rich in the knowledge of human nature

When is learning a more appropriate choice than scholarship?

The words learning and scholarship are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, learning applies to knowledge acquired especially through formal, often advanced, schooling.

a book that demonstrates vast learning

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of scholarship

For them, a highly permissive interpretation of free-speech law gives cover to racists, and a permissive interpretation of the principle of academic freedom allows for the perpetuation of exclusionary scholarship. —Louis Menand, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025

The Saudi government has funded student scholarships to universities abroad since the 1940s. —Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 26 Sep. 2025

The 81-year-old organization provides more than $65 million in scholarships to minority students each year and financially supports 37 HBCUs around the country. —Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 26 Sep. 2025

Nonetheless, his first baby is on the way and was already given a future scholarship. —Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025