Words / C2

ER-y-ud-yt/ˈerjʊdaɪt/

Erudite means showing deep, learned knowledge from study. Knowledgeable is everyday and milder; scholarly is a close cousin. Erudition is the noun, and it belongs in reviews and academic praise — in a pub it can sound like showing off. In speech, very well read is the natural paraphrase; erudite need not mean obscure, because the best erudition still explains.

Meaning

Showing a lot of knowledge from study (formal).

Examples

• “The review was erudite but still easy to follow.”
• “The lecture was erudite but never condescending.”
• “An erudite footnote does not rescue a confused main argument.”

Good to know

Learned from study. Noun: erudition. Everyday: well read / scholarly. Formal praise, odd in casual chat.

Near in meaning

scholarly

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