Meaning & use
sophomore
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A student in the second year of high school or college in the United States.
Grammar: Countable: a sophomore, three sophomores.
Patterns
- a sophomore at somewhere
She is a sophomore at the state university.
The sophomores held a dance.
He was a sophomore when he joined the team.
adjectivebefore a noun
Of or belonging to the second year of study.
Grammar: Before a noun: sophomore year.
Patterns
- sophomore year
Her sophomore year was the hardest.
A sophomore class trip.
adjectivebefore a noun
Second in a series, especially a second album or book.
Grammar: Before a noun; often sophomore album.
Patterns
- sophomore album
The band's sophomore album was less popular.
The novelist faced a sophomore slump.
Word forms
| plural | sophomores |
|---|
Common combinations
- sophomore year
- My sophomore year.
- sophomore slump
- The team had a sophomore slump.
- sophomore album
- A sophomore album.
- high school sophomore
- A high school sophomore.
Synonyms and how they differ
- second-year student
- Neutral and used worldwide.
Opposites
Word family
- sophomoric adjective
- immature or overconfident
Commonly confused: sophomore or sophomoric?
sophomore vs sophomoric
Sophomoric means childish, not just second-year.
Practice
A sophomore in the US is in which year?
Choose one answer.
Freshman is first, sophomore second.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sophomore”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.