savant

American  

[sa-vahnt, sav-uhnt, sa-vahn] / sæˈvɑnt, ˈsæv ənt, saˈvɑ̃ /

noun

plural

savants

1. a person of profound or extensive learning; learned scholar.

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savant British  

/ ˈsævənt, savɑ̃ /

noun

1. a man of great learning; sage

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Other Word Forms

• savante noun

Etymology

Origin of savant

1710–20; < French: man of learning, scholar, old present participle of savoir to know ≪ Latin sapere to be wise; see sapient

Explanation

You know that girl in your school with a 4.0 GPA? She is a savant in the making. A savant is someone over-the-top smart, a scholar. It might take a savant only five minutes to do an entire math test. Savant is the French word for "learned" and it goes back to the Latin word sapere, "to be wise." In English, a savant can be someone is who is wise and learned in general, or someone who is extremely skilled in a particular area, like your little brother who can rattle off the first three hundred digits of pi.

Example Sentences

An Alabama-born engineer seen as a supply-chain savant, Tim Cook took on the daunting challenge of succeeding Apple's iconic boss Steve Jobs 15 years ago.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

This hire is either a masterstroke that fuels the Trojans’ return to glory — or the point of no return for a head coach desperate to prove he’s not just a one-dimensional offensive savant.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 31, 2026

Young Jim showed an early gift for mathematics that bordered on savant territory.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 15, 2025

He’s a ridiculously proportioned savant who dribbles like a point guard, blocks shots like a center and puts up stat lines matched only by Hall-of-Famers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 21, 2025

And even though I’m still in 7th-grade math and everyone—from the principal to all my classmates—knows I’m a savant, it’s more or less okay.

From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty