erudition

[ er-yoo-dish-uhn, er-oo- ]

noun

1. knowledge acquired by study, research, etc.; learning; scholarship.

Other Words From

• eru·dition·al adjective
• noner·u·dition noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of erudition¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin ērudītiōn- (stem of ērudītiō ) “an instruction.” See erudite, -ion

Synonym Study

See learning.

Example Sentences

Longtime Washington Post sports columnist Thomas Boswell announced his retirement Friday, ending a decorated 52-year career in which he chronicled the biggest moments in Washington and national sports with enthusiasm and erudition.

From Washington Post

As you can see, there is plenty of erudition to go with the laughs.

From The Daily Beast

But he shares with Foster Wallace a gift for exactitude, erudition, and moral concern.

From The Daily Beast

Iyer employs a terrific combination of erudition and absurdity that calls to mind the great postmodernists.

From The Daily Beast

Anderson carries his erudition lightly, but there's enough scholarship there to make an academic proud.

From The Daily Beast

I respect Rabbi Yosef's erudition and his brave and sometimes iconoclastic halakhic (Jewish legal) writings.

From The Daily Beast

But it was neither his talents as a diplomatist, nor his remarkable mind, nor his solid erudition, which made Nicot immortal.

From Project Gutenberg

Charity had picked up enough of her companion's erudition to understand what had attracted him to the house.

From Project Gutenberg

A good man, and a scholar of rare erudition, he possessed nevertheless the true temper of a bigot.

From Project Gutenberg

There is no erudition, no sublime thought, nor any production which surpasses the ordinary capacities of the human mind.

From Project Gutenberg

He was a man of great erudition, and there need be no hesitation in accepting this extraordinary prayer as genuine.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• refinement

More About Erudition

What is erudition?

Erudition is knowledge obtained through study or research, as in Students gain erudition through reading and studying. 

Erudition is similar to such words as knowledge, learning, or scholarship. However, erudition is often used to mean that a person specifically acquired some kind of profound knowledge by extensively reading books, researching reports, or studying manuscripts. For this reason, erudition is typically used to refer to knowledge of topics such as theology or linguistics rather than math or physical sciences.

Erudition comes from the adjective erudite, which describes something that is full of knowledge or that is scholarly.

Example: The monk was known for his wisdom and erudition, having read every book in the monastery’s 1,000-year-old library.

Where does erudition come from?

The first records of the word erudition come from around 1350. It ultimately comes from the Latin word ērudītiō, meaning “an instruction.” We often use the word erudition to refer to learning acquired through the self-instruction that comes from studying books.

Erudition is not a commonly used word. Instead you will hear people use words like knowledge, bookishness, or book smarts. Erudition is most likely to be used by someone with a big vocabulary or who wants to use a word to sound smart.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to erudition?

• eruditional (adjective)
• nonerudition (noun)

What are some synonyms for erudition?

• refinement
• knowledge
• learning
• scholarship
• learnedness

What are some words that share a root or word element with erudition? 

• erudite
• rude
• satisfaction

What are some words that often get used in discussing erudition?

• books
• study
• intelligent

How is erudition used in real life?

Erudition is not a common word. When it’s used, it’s often to show off or sound smart.

The bane of Indian scholarship: verbosity & the excessive quoting of authority is confused for erudition. Content & insight count for little

— Sanjeev Sanyal (@sanjeevsanyal) April 18, 2016

Erudition is the perfect word. You have to be erudite to know what it means.

— Whatifalthist (@whatifalthist) November 11, 2020

I met my neighbor who just turned 103 years old. It's great to see that she remains active and her speech matches her erudition.

— Francisco Díaz, DNP, GNP, CDCES (@FranciscoNPinG) November 17, 2009

Try using erudition!

Is erudition used correctly in the following sentence?

The rabbi credited his erudition to the many books he had read on Jewish scripture.