savant

American  

[sa-vahnt, sav-uhnt, sa-vahn] / sæˈvɑnt, ˈsæv ənt, saˈvɑ̃ /

noun

PLURAL

savants

1. a person of profound or extensive learning; learned scholar.

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savant British  

/ ˈsævənt, savɑ̃ /

noun

1. a man of great learning; sage

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Other Word Forms

• savante noun

Etymology

Origin of savant

1710–20; < French: man of learning, scholar, old present participle of savoir to know ≪ Latin sapere to be wise; sapient

Example Sentences

AI savants’ greatest strength may be their ability to tell the difference between the to-do’s that robo assistants improve and those that are better done by hand.

From The Wall Street Journal

Williams is as enjoyable as he was in the early seasons of "Brockmire" where he plays a similar if more battened-down Gen Z promotional savant.

From Salon

The outcome was the Helsinki Final Act of 1975, signed by President Gerald Ford over the objections of the political savants of the day.

From Washington Post

‘He’s like a savant,’ Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, said of guard Rajon Rondo, who was added before the trade deadline.

From Los Angeles Times

“He’s like a savant,” Frank said on a videoconference with reporters.

From Los Angeles Times