scholar

noun

schol·​ar ˈskä-lər How to pronounce scholar (audio)
Synonyms of scholar
1
: a person who attends a school or studies under a teacher : pupil
2
a
: a person who has done advanced study in a special field
b
: a learned person
3
: a holder of a scholarship

Synonyms of scholar

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Examples of scholar in a Sentence

She's a renowned scholar of African-American history. scholars have long debated whether there is ever such a thing as a truly selfless act
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The scholar Colin Burrow, discussing Helen Vendler recently, described the goal of criticism as telling other people how good something is. — Lola Seaton, The New York Review of Books, 17 Oct. 2026 Sabrina came from a high-status family of scholars, and Phillip, the struggling musician and child of butchers, wasn’t enough for her family. — Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026 Zin is a Myanmar scholar who was detained in June and accused of endangering China’s national security. — Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Guests have included National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, former ACLU President Nadine Strossen and legal scholar Jonathan Turley. — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for scholar

Word History

Etymology

Middle English scoler, from Old English scolere & Anglo-French escoler, from Medieval Latin scholaris, from Late Latin, of a school, from Latin schola school

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of scholar was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing scholar

Rhymes for scholar

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Browse Nearby Words

schola cantorum
scholar
scholarch
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Cite this Entry

“Scholar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scholar. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

scholar

noun
schol·​ar ˈskäl-ər How to pronounce scholar (audio)
1
: a person who attends a school or studies under a teacher : pupil
2
a
: a person who has done advanced study in a special area
b
: a learned person
3
: a holder of a scholarship
scholarly adjective
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