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Synonyms

well-read

American  
[wel-red] / ˈwɛlˈrɛd /

adjective

  1. having read extensively (sometimes followed byin ).

    well-read in oceanography.
well-read British  
/ ˈwɛlˈrɛd /

adjective

  1. having read widely and intelligently; erudite

"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

Etymology

Origin of well-read

First recorded in 1590–1600

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.

Bailey chalks this hesitancy up to education, but Motta says it’s not just that, noting that many pet parents today are well-read.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026

Any well-read person is likely to consider the rise of the modern nation-state to be a distinctly mixed bag, as the history of the last two or three centuries has demonstrated.

From Salon • Jun. 22, 2025

Think of him as that inquisitive, well-read dinner party guest who ensures that your evening is memorable.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 20, 2024

But there's not much about how well-read he was, or what his songs were about.

From BBC • Nov. 30, 2023

They were obviously cut from the same well-read, well-bred, lunatic cloth.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein

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.