scholarship

noun

schol·​ar·​ship ˈskä-lər-ˌship How to pronounce scholarship (audio)
Synonyms of scholarshipnext
1
: a grant-in-aid to a student (as by a college or foundation)
2
: the character, qualities, activity, or attainments of a scholar : learning
3
: a fund of knowledge and learning
drawing on the scholarship of the ancients

Synonyms of scholarship

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knowledge, learning, erudition, scholarship mean what is or can be known by an individual or by humankind.

knowledge applies to facts or ideas acquired by study, investigation, observation, or experience.

rich in the knowledge of human nature

learning applies to knowledge acquired especially through formal, often advanced, schooling.

a book that demonstrates vast learning

erudition strongly implies the acquiring of profound, recondite, or bookish learning.

an erudition unusual even in a scholar

scholarship implies the possession of learning characteristic of the advanced scholar in a specialized field of study or investigation.

a work of first-rate literary scholarship

Examples of scholarship in a Sentence

She got a scholarship to Yale University. The organization is offering five $5,000 scholarships. The essay is a work of serious scholarship. The book is about his life and scholarship.
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.
The graduate students receive some scholarship money, and those who attend classes at the library become limbs on the coaching tree. — Anne Kniggendorf, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2026 DePaul University’s College of Law has been renamed after an alum whose $30 million gift will fund endowments, scholarships, faculty fellowships and a new law center, the school announced. — Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026 Váradi won a scholarship to one of Hungary’s top universities, moved to Budapest at 18, and graduated as an economist from Corvinus University in 1989. — Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2026 For 2026, the award is also launching a scholarship program with Central Saint Martins. — Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for scholarship

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1536, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of scholarship was circa 1536

Phrases Containing scholarship

Rhymes for scholarship

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Browse Nearby Words

scholarly
scholarship
Scholarship level
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Cite this Entry

“Scholarship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scholarship. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

scholarship

noun
schol·​ar·​ship ˈskäl-ər-ˌship How to pronounce scholarship (audio)
1
: money given (as by a college) to a student to help pay for further education
2
: the character, qualities, or achievements of a scholar
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