Renaissance man

American  

noun

1. a cultured man of the Renaissance who was knowledgeable, educated, or proficient in a wide range of fields.

2. (sometimes lowercase) a present-day man who has acquired profound knowledge or proficiency in more than one field.

---

Renaissance man British  

noun

1. a man of any period who has a broad range of intellectual interests

---

Renaissance man Cultural  

1. An outstandingly versatile, well-rounded person. The expression alludes to such Renaissance figures as Leonardo da Vinci, who performed brilliantly in many different fields.

---

Etymology

Origin of Renaissance man

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Through him, we are allowed a rare glimpse into the street-level experiences of a common Renaissance man.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

Charles is at once a Renaissance man and a Luddite.

From Salon • Nov. 21, 2024

Smart, worldly and insatiably curious, Mr. Ramaswamy is about as close as you get to a Renaissance man in our times.

From Washington Times • Jul. 24, 2023

The mapmaker was something of a Renaissance man — relatives said he pursued photography, worked as a chauffeur and served as an executive with the Screen Extras Guild, then a union for background actors.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2023

He was, in truth, more of a Renaissance man than a modern scientist, and still thought in terms of vital forces, an abstract conception of perfection and spirits that kept the body alive.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin