scholarly

[skol-er-lee]

adjective

1. of, like, or befitting a scholar.

   scholarly habits.

2. having the qualities of a scholar.

   a scholarly person.

3. concerned with academic learning and research.

adverb

1. like a scholar.

Other Word Forms

• scholarliness noun
• pseudoscholarly adjective
• quasi-scholarly adjective
• superscholarly adjective
• unscholarly adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of scholarly¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; scholar + -ly

Example Sentences

I wondered if I needed to be scholarly.

From Los Angeles Times

“There’s been a lot of rigorous scholarly studies and thinking behind all of the different conservation aspects of the site,” said Luce.

From Los Angeles Times

For the literary circles I travel in, I sometimes wonder if watch-wearers think it makes them look more intellectual, scholarly.

From Los Angeles Times

Meanwhile, popular and scholarly treatments of white Southerners as overwhelmingly conservative and racially regressive abound.

From Salon

His earlier works include the acclaimed "Mountains of the Mind: A History of a Fascination" and a scholarly study of plagiarism and originality in 19th-century English literature.

From Salon

Related Words

• erudite 
• intellectual 
• learned