erudite

[ er-yoo-dahyt, er-oo- ]

adjective

1. characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly:

   an erudite professor; an erudite commentary.

   Synonyms: sapient, wise, knowledgeable, educated

erudite

/ ˌɛrʊˈdɪʃən; ˈɛrʊˌdaɪt /

adjective

1. having or showing extensive scholarship; learned

Derived Forms

• erudition, noun
• ˈeruˌditely, adverb

Other Words From

• eru·ditely adverb
• eru·diteness noun
• non·eru·dite adjective
• non·eru·ditely adverb
• non·eru·diteness noun
• un·eru·dite adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of erudite¹

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; e- ¹, rude, -ite ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of erudite¹

C15: from Latin ērudītus, from ērudīre to polish, from ex- ¹+ rudis unpolished, rough

Example Sentences

The Scripps National Spelling Bee, the annual competition that challenges erudite children and teenagers to spell some of the most obscure entries in the dictionary, will begin its final round on Thursday.

From New York Times

Shivkumar is a big thinker, an erudite physician quick with an apt quotation, whose Westwood office is stacked with Sanskrit volumes of the Mahabharata alongside books about late Bruins basketball coach John Wooden.

From Los Angeles Times

Viewers enjoyed the dignified combination of MacNeil, who spoke in a clipped, erudite manner; and Lehrer, a Kansas native with a soft heartland drawl.

From Los Angeles Times

It was also an erudite and satirical parable of the Cold War, in which campuses of a divided university confronted each other in hostility and mutual deterrence.

From New York Times

Birth was Boston — not the erudite one but a namesake village in upstate New York.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• knowledgeable
• literate
• scholarly