wisdom
Americannoun
-
the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.
- Synonyms:
- understanding, sense
- Antonyms:
- stupidity
-
scholarly knowledge or learning.
the wisdom of the schools.
- Synonyms:
- enlightenment, erudition, sapience
- Antonyms:
- ignorance
-
wise sayings or teachings; precepts.
-
a wise act or saying.
-
(initial capital letter) Wisdom of Solomon.
noun
-
the ability or result of an ability to think and act utilizing knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense, and insight
-
accumulated knowledge, erudition, or enlightenment
-
archaic a wise saying or wise sayings or teachings
-
obsolete soundness of mind
Related Words
See information.
Other Word Forms
- wisdomless adjective
Etymology
Origin of wisdom
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English wīsdōm; cognate with Old Norse vīsdōmr, German Weistum. See wise 1, -dom
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.
One long-held piece of financial wisdom is that the best time to invest was yesterday — and the second-best time is today.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026
He would repay her with pearls of wisdom from more than four decades of coaching college basketball and a dozen trips to the Final Four.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
She wants to show how there’s latent wisdom to the rule that was incorporated into this history.
From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the prevailing wisdom there is we better not endorse anybody, because we don’t want to tilt this one way or the other.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026
“Like I said,” said Mini, clearly annoyed, “it only makes you wise until the thing you’re asking wisdom for is done.”
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
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.