learned

[ lur-nid for 1–3; lurnd for 4 ]

/ ˈlɜr nɪd for 1–3; lɜrnd for 4 /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR learned ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having much knowledge; scholarly; erudite: learned professors.

connected or involved with the pursuit of knowledge, especially of a scholarly nature: a learned journal.

of or showing learning or knowledge; well-informed: learned in the ways of the world.

acquired by experience, study, etc.: learned behavior.

Nearby words

lear complex, learn, learn by heart, learn one's lesson, learn to live with, learned, learned borrowing, learned drive, learned helplessness, learned profession, learned society

Origin of learned

First recorded in 1300–50, learned is from the Middle English word lerned. See learn, -ed²

Related forms

learn·ed·ly, adverblearn·ed·ness, nounhalf-learned, adjectivehalf-learn·ed·ly, adverb

o·ver·learn·ed, adjectiveo·ver·learn·ed·ly, adverbo·ver·learn·ed·ness, nounwell-learned, adjective

Definition for learned (2 of 2)

learn

[ lurn ]

/ lɜrn /

verb (used with object), learned [lurnd] /lɜrnd/ or learnt, learn·ing.

to acquire knowledge of or skill in by study, instruction, or experience: to learn French; to learn to ski.

to become informed of or acquainted with; ascertain: to learn the truth.

to memorize: He learned the poem so he could recite it at the dinner.

to gain (a habit, mannerism, etc.) by experience, exposure to example, or the like; acquire: She learned patience from her father.

(of a device or machine, especially a computer) to perform an analogue of human learning with artificial intelligence.

Nonstandard. to instruct in; teach.

verb (used without object), learned [lurnd] /lɜrnd/ or learnt, learn·ing.

to acquire knowledge or skill: to learn rapidly.

to become informed (usually followed by of): to learn of an accident.

Origin of learn

before 900; Middle English lernen, Old English leornian to learn, read, ponder (cognate with German lernen); akin to lesan to glean (cognate with German lesen to read). See lear

Related forms

learn·a·ble, adjectivemis·learn, verb, mis·learned or mis·learnt, mis·learn·ing.out·learn, verb (used with object), out·learned or out·learnt, out·learn·ing.re·learn, verb, re·learned or re·learnt, re·learn·ing.

Can be confused

learn teach

Synonym study

1. Learn, ascertain, detect, discover imply adding to one's store of facts. To learn is to add to one's knowledge or information: to learn a language. To ascertain is to verify facts by inquiry or analysis: to ascertain the truth about an event. To detect implies becoming aware of something that had been obscure, secret, or concealed: to detect a flaw in reasoning. To discover is used with objective clauses as a synonym of learn in order to suggest that the new information acquired is surprising to the learner: I discovered that she had been married before.

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

Examples from the Web for learned

“Then I learned he can't spell and is a manager at a CPK,” she said.
My Week on Jewish Tinder|Emily Shire|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
His first language was Russian, then he learned Swedish, but chooses to perform in monosyllabic broken English.
The Cult of Yung Lean: ‘I’m Building An Anarchistic Society From the Ground Up’|Marlow Stern|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I asked her how her trainers, born and raised in Iran, have learned how to teach hip-hop.
Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread|IranWire|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I have learned a lot about productions and the abilities I have in this realm.
Porn Stars on the Year in Porn: Drone Erotica, Belle Knox, and Wild Sex|Aurora Snow|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

I learned that he was working and living in the Lower East Side, delivering orders for an Italian restaurant and raising two kids.
Cuban Hip-Hop Was Born in Alamar|Daniel Levin|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As resident physician for over fifteen years, I had learned patience in these matters.
Unbegotten Child|Winston Marks
I learned later that he had implored the Superior on his knees not to lay this dreadful command upon him, but all in vain.
The Monk and The Hangman's Daughter|Adolphe Danziger De Castro and Ambrose Bierce
I know his fame as a pious teacher and a learned man, well beloved of his people.
Standish of Standish|Jane G. Austin
From the recipients of her generosity more is known than could have been learned from her.
Alice Cogswell Bemis|Anonymous
He met that searching gaze as inscrutably as he had learned to endure the scrutiny of his opponent at the poker table.
The Heart of Canyon Pass|Thomas K. Holmes

British Dictionary definitions for learned (1 of 2)

learned

/ (ˈlɜːnɪd) /

adjective

having great knowledge or erudition

involving or characterized by scholarship

(prenominal) a title applied in referring to a member of the legal profession, esp to a barristermy learned friend

Derived Forms

learnedly, adverblearnedness, noun

British Dictionary definitions for learned (2 of 2)

learn

/ (lɜːn) /

verb learns, learning, learned (lɜːnd) or learnt

(when tr, may take a clause as object) to gain knowledge of (something) or acquire skill in (some art or practice)

(tr) to commit to memory

(tr) to gain by experience, example, etc

(intr; often foll by of or about) to become informed; know

not standard to teach

Derived Forms

learnable, adjective

Word Origin for learn

Old English leornian; related to Old High German lirnen

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

Idioms and Phrases with learned

learn

In addition to the idioms beginning with learn

learn by heart
learn one's lesson
learn to live with

also see:

by heart, learn
little knowledge (learning) is a dangerous thing
live and learn