learned

American  

[lur-nid, lurnd] / ˈlɜr nɪd, lɜrnd /

adjective

1. having much knowledge; scholarly; erudite.

   learned professors.

2. connected or involved with the pursuit of knowledge, especially of a scholarly nature.

   a learned journal.

3. of or showing learning or knowledge; well-informed.

   learned in the ways of the world.

4. acquired by experience, study, etc..

   learned behavior.

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learned British  

/ ˈlɜːnɪd /

adjective

1. having great knowledge or erudition

2. involving or characterized by scholarship

3. (prenominal) a title applied in referring to a member of the legal profession, esp to a barrister

   my learned friend

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Other Word Forms

• half-learned
  adjective
• half-learnedly
  adverb
• learnedly
  adverb
• learnedness
  noun
• overlearned
  adjective
• overlearnedly
  adverb
• overlearnedness
  noun
• well-learned
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of learned

First recorded in 1300–50, learned is from the Middle English word lerned. See learn, -ed ²

Explanation

If you're learned (pronounced LUR-ned), you're highly educated, or you have or show a profound knowledge of some kind. The adjective learned comes from the verb learn. You can use it either to describe someone as having a lot of education, like the learned shopkeeper who used to tell you about the Trojan War while you picked out your candy, or to describe something that doesn't come naturally, but has to be learned (in which case it's pronounced LURND). If you reward your dog when she howls, then her howling will become a learned (LURND) behavior.

Example Sentences

“I’ve learned that the worst thing an actor can face is regret,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

They built their own wind tunnel in the bike shop, and learned that the hard problem wasn’t engine power but control.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026

Social workers also learned the woman was caring for the prisoner's XL bully dog and had twice taken the child to visit the prisoner, who had begun referring to him as his "stepson".

From BBC • May 11, 2026

You are obviously a mentor to your daughter and even to your friends, and I have no doubt there are people you have learned from, too.

From MarketWatch • May 11, 2026

“It’s about the only interesting thing I’ve learned so far in chemistry.”

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Related Words

• accomplished
• educated
• scholarly
• scientific
• studied
• well-educated