learned
Americanadjective
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having much knowledge; scholarly; erudite.
learned professors.
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connected or involved with the pursuit of knowledge, especially of a scholarly nature.
a learned journal.
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of or showing learning or knowledge; well-informed.
learned in the ways of the world.
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acquired by experience, study, etc..
learned behavior.
adjective
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having great knowledge or erudition
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involving or characterized by scholarship
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(prenominal) a title applied in referring to a member of the legal profession, esp to a barrister
my learned friend
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of learned
First recorded in 1300–50, learned is from the Middle English word lerned. See learn, -ed 2
Explanation
If you're learned (pronounced LUR-ned), you're highly educated, or you have or show a profound knowledge of some kind. The adjective learned comes from the verb learn. You can use it either to describe someone as having a lot of education, like the learned shopkeeper who used to tell you about the Trojan War while you picked out your candy, or to describe something that doesn't come naturally, but has to be learned (in which case it's pronounced LURND). If you reward your dog when she howls, then her howling will become a learned (LURND) behavior.
Vocabulary lists containing learned
Beowulf vocabulary
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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.
Washington is widening the entrance in the same week the people inside learned the exit is 5% wide.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
For many families, Ms. Manning reminds us, “a love of reading stemming from a World War II veteran” is a legacy passed down from those who learned to cherish books during their time of service.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
"The North Sea oil and gas industry started on the UK side. We learned from the UK and it's actually the same geology on both sides of the border - several fields actually cross it."
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
But after four seasons of mediocrity and worse, however, she’s learned to keep her fingers crossed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
By now I had learned to make the nighttime trip out to Pickwick’s almost as skillfully as could Kik.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
