educated
Americanadjective
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having undergone education.
educated people.
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characterized by or displaying qualities of culture and learning.
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based on some information or experience.
an educated estimate of next year's sales.
adjective
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having an education, esp a good one
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displaying culture, taste, and knowledge; cultivated
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(prenominal) based on experience or information (esp in the phrase an educated guess )
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of educated
Explanation
If you're educated, you've been to school or college, or otherwise been instructed or trained. Using long, fancy words will either make people think you're educated or that you're a show-off. When you make an educated decision about something, you've learned about the subject before making up your mind — you've been educated or educated yourself, and you understand it completely. An educated conversation or debate about a topic is one in which both sides have knowledge about the issues. Educated comes from educate, with its Latin root, educare, which means both "educate" and "bring up or rear children."
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.
The newest presidential candidate, an openly gay Parisian educated in top schools, made history when he became France's youngest ever prime minister at the age of 34.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
"It's who's pushy enough, educated enough, to see the process through. And then ultimately the answer is generally 'No'."
From BBC • May 22, 2026
Their employment outlook hasn’t deteriorated as badly as it has for the less educated.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
It is a microcosm of the world’s society, with one important exception: Nearly everyone attending the festival is well educated.
From Salon • May 22, 2026
Most of the pilots and technicians of Raskova’s regiments were educated at least to high school level, and many of them had some university education as well.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
