Meaning & use
well rounded student
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A student who has developed many different skills and interests, not only academic ones.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a well-rounded student' or 'well-rounded students'.
Patterns
- a well-rounded student
- become a well-rounded student
- well-rounded students
The school aims to produce well-rounded students who can think creatively.
She is a well-rounded student: she plays violin, volunteers, and does well in science.
Universities say they want well-rounded students, not just high test scores.
Word forms
| plural | well-rounded students |
|---|
Common combinations
- a well-rounded education
- A well-rounded education includes art and sport as well as math.
- become a well-rounded student
- Joining clubs helped him become a well-rounded student.
- well-rounded individual
- Employers value a well-rounded individual who can communicate well.
Synonyms and how they differ
- versatile
- Focuses on having many skills; it can describe a person or a tool, not just a student.
- all-around
- Informal and mainly American; it means good at many things.
Opposites
Word family
- well-rounded adjective
- Having a broad range of abilities or interests.
- rounded adjective
- Complete and balanced, often used about education or experience.
Commonly confused: well rounded student or well-grounded?
well rounded student vs well-grounded
Well-grounded means having a solid basic knowledge or training, not a broad range of interests.
Practice
The admissions office looks for ______ who take part in sports, music, and community service.
Choose one answer.
The plural 'well-rounded students' matches the plural idea in the sentence. 'Well-rounded student' is singular and would need 'a'. 'Well-rounding' is not a standard adjective, and 'well-rounded educations' does not describe people.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “well rounded student”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.