Adjacent Words

Sciolist definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SCI'OLIST, n. [L. sciolus, a diminutive formed on scio, to know.]
One who knows little, or who knows many things superficially; a smatterer.
These passages in that book, were enough to humble the presumption of our modern sciolists, if their pride were not as great as their ignorance.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an amateur who engages in an activity without serious intentions and who pretends to have knowledge [syn: dabbler, dilettante, sciolist]

Merriam Webster's

noun see sciolism

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. a superficial pretender to knowledge. Derivatives: sciolism n. sciolistic adj. Etymology: LL sciolus smatterer f. L scire know

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sciolist Sci"o*list, n. [L. sciolus. See Sciolous.] One who knows many things superficially; a pretender to science; a smatterer. These passages in that book were enough to humble the presumption of our modern sciolists, if their pride were not as great as their ignorance. --Sir W. Temple. A master were lauded and sciolists shent. --R. Browning.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Smatterer, ignoramus, novice, greenhorn, pretender to science.