Meaning & use
distinguished scholar
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableformal
A highly respected expert in a field of study, known for important academic work.
Grammar: Countable noun phrase; you can say 'a distinguished scholar' or 'distinguished scholars'.
Patterns
- a distinguished scholar of something
- a distinguished scholar in the field of something
- be recognized as a distinguished scholar
She is a distinguished scholar of ancient Greek history.
The university invited a distinguished scholar to give the opening lecture.
He became a distinguished scholar in the field of molecular biology.
Word forms
| plural | distinguished scholars |
|---|
Common combinations
- a distinguished scholar of history
- He is a distinguished scholar of medieval history.
- a distinguished scholar in the field
- She is a distinguished scholar in the field of neuroscience.
- invite a distinguished scholar
- The department invited a distinguished scholar to speak.
Synonyms and how they differ
- eminent scholar
- Eminent is very similar but slightly stronger, suggesting the person is at the top of their field.
- leading expert
- Leading expert is broader and can be used outside universities, while distinguished scholar is mainly academic.
Opposites
Word family
- scholar noun
- A person who studies a subject deeply, especially at a university.
- scholarly adjective
- Relating to serious academic study.
- scholarship noun
- Academic study or a sum of money given to support a student.
Commonly confused: distinguished scholar or student?
distinguished scholar vs student
A student is anyone who studies; a distinguished scholar is a respected expert with a long record of academic work.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'distinguished scholar' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A distinguished scholar is an expert in an academic field like economics. The other options describe everyday skills, not academic study.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “distinguished scholar”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.