wisdom
Americannoun
-
the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.
- Synonyms:
- understanding, sense
- Antonyms:
- stupidity
-
scholarly knowledge or learning.
the wisdom of the schools.
- Synonyms:
- enlightenment, erudition, sapience
- Antonyms:
- ignorance
-
wise sayings or teachings; precepts.
-
a wise act or saying.
-
(initial capital letter) Wisdom of Solomon.
noun
-
the ability or result of an ability to think and act utilizing knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense, and insight
-
accumulated knowledge, erudition, or enlightenment
-
archaic a wise saying or wise sayings or teachings
-
obsolete soundness of mind
Related Words
See information.
Other Word Forms
- wisdomless adjective
Etymology
Origin of wisdom
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English wīsdōm; cognate with Old Norse vīsdōmr, German Weistum. See wise 1, -dom
Explanation
Wisdom is the combination of experience, knowledge and careful judgment. If you've got it, you're "wise." If you haven't, well don't worry, most of us don't either. Wisdom is also the term we give to the sum total of a culture's knowledge and application of that knowledge, acquired over time. We talk about "the wisdom of the ancient Greeks," for example, meaning everything about their culture from their scientific and philosophical discoveries to the art and culture they created. Don't confuse wisdom with knowledge — which is merely the accumulation of facts with no sense of what meaning to make from them.
Vocabulary lists containing wisdom
An Inspirational Back-to-School Word List
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"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act IV
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"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act IV
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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.
Since the start of the Iran war, the conventional wisdom has been that the whole thing is a hot mess.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 11, 2026
Fortified by wisdom and perspective, if not extra distance from my driver, I’m more eager to tee it up now than I’ve been in 20 years.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
Most notable was a video for a country-style song about gaining wisdom and then completely forgetting what that wisdom was.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026
At the end of the interview, when asked if she passes any wisdom down, Alicia - a year younger than Caroline - scoffs: "What wisdom?"
From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026
Or when Henry Lee flooded him with apocalyptic premonitions if assumption somehow were to pass, he counseled patience and greater trust in the wisdom of Congress.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
