as in geniuses
formal
someone who knows a lot about many different things
She is rightly regarded as something of a polymath in her extensive knowledge of all the earth sciences.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of polymaths
Private Money, Public Breakthroughs To call Saad Bhamla and his seven co-recipients polymaths is more than flattery.
—
John Drake, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
John Drake, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polymaths
Noun
-
Cleaners that Only Serve One Function Cleaning product manufacturers are geniuses at marketing generic formulas as products for niche items.—
Tessa Cooper,
The Spruce,
7 Feb. 2026
-
This country of geniuses may be dominant in a matter of two to three years, Amodei believes, paving the way for major market disruptions.—
Joe McKendrick,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Suffused with dread and bathed in reverb, the record captures two virtuosos at their most vulnerable.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
23 Jan. 2026
-
They were accompanied by vocal virtuosos Lucius and blues-rock rippers Judith Hill and Eric Krasno, each fixtures in the local music community trying to rebuild itself in the wake of the Eaton fire.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Only the best of the bat-to-ball wizards can build a career in the majors.—
Grant Brisbee,
New York Times,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Everything culminates in a climactic scene in the Shrieking Shack, where the truth about the two Animagi (wizards who can turn into animals) is revealed, plus Sirius Black (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù) comes clean as a friend of Harry’s parents who can also turn into a black dog.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
For these thinkers—including Lewis Terman, who developed the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale—an exclusive gifted classroom logically doubled as a tool of racial and socioeconomic segregation.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Other far more serious thinkers have made versions of it too.—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
While the likes of Philo and Trotter have expanded upon the idea by prioritizing people whose intellects align with their brand values, Jacquemus takes it to another level.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But the reality is that this transformation is the culmination of years of work by niche groups of conservative intellectuals who have long rejected America’s liberal traditions—and now dominate the halls of power.—
Laura K. Field,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Said knew that intellectuals must be willing to immerse themselves in the spirit of a movement larger than themselves, must be willing to speak as part of a collective, especially when that collective stands up for the voices of the oppressed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Landscapers place hundreds of native buckwheat, sages and other plants on top of the wildlife crossing.—
Jeanette Marantos,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Around that are various sages, including a Cleveland sage, along with California sagebrush and California buckwheat.—
Caron Golden,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Polymaths.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polymaths. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
