erudition

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

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• eruditional adjective
• nonerudition 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

In the early 20th century, a clergyman named Montague Summers wrote histories of European vampires that displayed his erudition and eccentricity—not least because he was sure that vampires really did exist.

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Each one is a small masterpiece of concision that combines erudition, insight and dry humor.

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David Souter stripped aside the well-maintained fiction that justices are appointed to the Court for their erudition, their intellect, their learnedness, and their reason.

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“So, we thought Justice Chandrachud would use his erudition and brilliant mind to do a lot of good for the citizens. But he has been disappointing,” she said.

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Solomon, not well-known today, was a Harvard-educated bon vivant known for his erudition in new art’s European history.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• refinement 

When To Use

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.