Definition of ERUDITE
- ️Sun Feb 09 2025
: having or showing knowledge that is gained by studying : possessing or displaying erudition
Did you know?
Erudite derives from Latin eruditus, the past participle of the verb erudire, meaning "to instruct." A closer look at that verb shows that it is formed by combining the prefix e-, meaning "missing" or "absent," with the adjective rudis, which means "rude" or "ignorant." (Rudis is also the source of the English word rude.) We typically use rude to mean "discourteous" or "uncouth" but it can also mean "lacking refinement" or "uncivilized." Taking these meanings into account, erudite stays true to its etymology: someone who is erudite has been transformed from a roughened or uninformed state to a polished and knowledgeable one through a devotion to learning.
Synonyms
Examples of erudite in a Sentence
He wasn't bashful about showing himself to be feverishly erudite, … terminally droll, and a wizard phrasemaker.
—
Susan Sontag, New Yorker, 18 & 25 June 2001
… an engaging fellow: erudite, entertaining, intolerant of trendiness and fearlessly old-fashioned. … He can turn a nice phrase, too.
—Mordecai Richler, Wall Street Journal, 2 May 1995
He was well read, especially in the works of Kipling, a field in which Violet could give him a game, and from time to time they would exchange erudite letters about Kipling characters.
—Anthony Powell, The Strangers All are Gone, 1982
the most erudite people in medical research attended the conference an erudite lecture on the latest discoveries in astronomy
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For most of her career, Ms. van Kampen was one of the many erudite, imaginative artists of the theater who stay behind the scenes.
—Alex Traub, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2025
That influence is palpable in Hudson’s playing, which is marked by unexpected, almost counterintuitive little figures; his style was erudite, but teasing.
—Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2025
These posts delivered a snapshot of his worldview in this period: idiosyncratic, erudite and angry with little room for moderation.
—Joshua Kaplan, ProPublica, 4 Jan. 2025
The final version, thanks to its production and Antonoff plumbing the lower depths of his voice, recalls the erudite, hooky gloom of the Magnetic Fields refracted through string lights on their final bit of wattage.
35.
—Maura Johnston, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for erudite 
Word History
Etymology
Middle English erudit, from Latin eruditus, from past participle of erudire to instruct, from e- + rudis rude, ignorant
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of erudite was in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near erudite
Cite this Entry
“Erudite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/erudite. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.
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Last Updated: 9 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences
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