erudite
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of erudite
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin ērudītus, equivalent to ērud(ē)- ( ē- intensive prefix + rud- “unformed, rough, rude”) + -ītus adjective suffix; see origin at e- 1, rude, -ite 2
Explanation
If you call someone erudite, that means they show great learning. After you've earned your second Ph.D., you will be truly erudite. Erudite is from Latin verb erudire, "to teach," which comes from rudis for "raw, unskilled, ignorant" (the source of our word rude). If you bring someone out of a raw state, you educate them, so someone who is erudite is very educated indeed (and perhaps a bit of a showoff). You can say either ER-oo-dite or ER-yoo-dite; the second one, being a bit harder to say, can seem a bit more erudite.
Vocabulary lists containing erudite
Advanced English Words
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Grade 10, List 2
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In 1985, the show held at the very same art museum caused a scandal for daring to bring fashion into the erudite ranks of a museum.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
His lover is an erudite Japanese fashion-designer-turned-entrepreneur named Chizuko Watanabe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Fox is reborn as Eddie Triplett in the book, a charming and erudite book editor who radiates joie de vivre and is among the loves of his stepdaughter Daphne’s life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
In “The Mighty Continent,” he condenses a grand historical narrative into a conversational and erudite survey of a civilization that “invented the modern world.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026
Someone should write an erudite essay on the moral, physical, and esthetic effect of the Model T Ford on the American nation.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
