erudite

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

/ ˈɛr yʊˌdaɪt, ˈɛr ʊ- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR erudite ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly: an erudite professor; an erudite commentary.

Nearby words

Origin of erudite

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin ērudītus, equivalent to ērud- (ē- e-¹ + rud- unformed, rough, rude) + -ītus -ite²

Related forms

er·u·dite·ly, adverber·u·dite·ness, nounnon·er·u·dite, adjectivenon·er·u·dite·ly, adverb

non·er·u·dite·ness, nounun·er·u·dite, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for erudite

The gentle, erudite soul within a body the public considered an oddity is the contrast at the heart of “The Elephant Man.”
The True Story of ‘The Elephant Man’|Russell Saunders|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Patricia Clarkson gets to show off both as the woman who becomes fascinated with the erudite monster.
Fall Broadway Preview: 'This Is Our Youth,' Bradley Cooper as ‘The Elephant Man,' and More|Janice Kaplan|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Erudite is trying to wrestle control of the government away from Abnegation via nefarious schemes.
Exclusive: Shailene Woodley On ‘Divergent,’ J. Law, and Why She Turned Down ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’|Marlow Stern|March 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But unlike Bloom and Eagleton, his books have been, while erudite and incisive, unashamedly populist.
John Sutherland‘s Enjoyable Little History of Literature|Malcolm Forbes|November 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST

That is the persuasive central argument of American Zion, the erudite new book by Eran Shalev.
Why Is American Politics So Religious and Divisive?|Jordan Michael Smith|March 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Where was the erudite individual who weighed my classical attainments in the balance, and found them wanting?
The Highlands of Ethiopia|William Cornwallis Harris
Sometimes he addresses Story as though that erudite Justice were his superior.
The Life of John Marshall Volume 4 of 4|Albert J. Beveridge
The erudite and opulent Frisian preferred a less tempestuous career.
The Rise of the Dutch Republic, Volume I.(of III) 1555-66|John Lothrop Motley
It is for male chorus, with an accompaniment for two pianos, well individualized and erudite.
Contemporary American Composers|Rupert Hughes
Not the most erudite of men could be perfectly prepared to deal with so many and such various sides of human life and manners.
Familiar Studies of Men and Books|Robert Louis Stevenson

British Dictionary definitions for erudite

erudite

/ (ˈɛrʊˌdaɪt) /

adjective

having or showing extensive scholarship; learned

Derived Formseruditely, adverberudition (ˌɛrʊˈdɪʃən) or eruditeness, noun

Word Origin for erudite

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for erudite

erudite

adj.

early 15c., from Latin eruditus, past participle of erudire "to educate, teach, instruct, polish," literally "to bring out of the rough," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + rudis "unskilled, rough, unlearned" (see rude).