as in literate
having or displaying advanced knowledge or education
any well-read person would recognize the quotation
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Recent Examples of well-read
Open-minded, passionate, forthright and brave, Eva is well-educated, well-read, adventurous, generous of spirit, a world-traveler.
—
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 2 June 2026
Grandma Bobby is well-read and well-traveled, glamorous and opinionated (speaking of usually-right old women), the old-school, no-nonsense daughter of a girl who walked out of a pogrom and emigrated to New York.
—Literary Hub, 7 May 2026
When the pandemic shut library doors, Bussey said e-books and audiobooks were what kept the local community well-read.
—Jack O'Connor, Chicago Tribune, 23 Apr. 2026
The stars were well-read and well-spoken, and academically motivated, some graduating in three years.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Alison Taylor, a professor of business and society at NYU’s Stern School of Business said being deeply well-read is becoming something of a luxury good—rare, valuable, and impossible to fake.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 3 Mar. 2026
Heeding these cryptic words some three decades later, the audacious (and well-read) impresario Tony Wilson opened the Haçienda together with the circle of post-punk musicians and designers involved with his label, Factory Records.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 9 Jan. 2026
The same parents who built our algorithmic economy now limit their own children’s exposure to it, creating a new kind of digital divide—one where being unplugged and well-read are the ultimate luxuries.
—Liz Doe Stone, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 2 June 2026
Grandma Bobby is well-read and well-traveled, glamorous and opinionated (speaking of usually-right old women), the old-school, no-nonsense daughter of a girl who walked out of a pogrom and emigrated to New York.
—Literary Hub, 7 May 2026
When the pandemic shut library doors, Bussey said e-books and audiobooks were what kept the local community well-read.
—Jack O'Connor, Chicago Tribune, 23 Apr. 2026
The stars were well-read and well-spoken, and academically motivated, some graduating in three years.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Alison Taylor, a professor of business and society at NYU’s Stern School of Business said being deeply well-read is becoming something of a luxury good—rare, valuable, and impossible to fake.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 3 Mar. 2026
Heeding these cryptic words some three decades later, the audacious (and well-read) impresario Tony Wilson opened the Haçienda together with the circle of post-punk musicians and designers involved with his label, Factory Records.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 9 Jan. 2026
The same parents who built our algorithmic economy now limit their own children’s exposure to it, creating a new kind of digital divide—one where being unplugged and well-read are the ultimate luxuries.
—Liz Doe Stone, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for well-read
Adjective
-
His stuff is incredibly visually literate.—
Peter Larsen,
Daily News,
27 May 2026
-
From red states to blue states, rural regions and urban centers, the coordination challenge is real, and it must be solved intentionally if regions are going to succeed in helping their communities, students, workers, and businesses become AI-literate and ready for the future of work.—
Shalin Jyotishi,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
The Bay Area’s suburban population of some 5 million also has become increasingly diverse, educated and affluent.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
2 June 2026
-
For decades, the French have continued their involvement in the territory, where nickel is the backbone of the local economy, and where much of the indigenous Kanaks remain poorer and less educated than the European-descended settler community.—
Wesley Alexander Hill,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
Astrology, a pursuit that hovers in the nebulous space between science and storytelling, is not exactly a robust academic field, and LaFaive had no scholarly studies of Goodman’s life or work to consult.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
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Born to a humble family in the twilight years of the shogunate, Higuchi Natsuko (as she was born) was the fourth child and second daughter of a man with scholarly inclinations, who as a farmer had come to the capital to seek both fortune and rank.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Well-read.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/well-read. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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