Wisdom — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun /ˈwiz-dəm/ wis·dom

Meaning & Definition of Wisdom

Wisdom (noun)

  1. ability to discern inner qualities and relationships, insight
  2. good sense, judgment
  3. generally accepted belief
  4. a didactic book included in the Roman Catholic canon of the Old Testament and corresponding to the Wisdom of Solomon in the Protestant Apocrypha

Wisdom (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. the ability to understand inner qualities or relationships

    "with age and experience comes wisdom—hopefully"

    "neither book learning nor simple intelligence should be confused with wisdom"

    similar: discernment, insight, perception, perceptiveness, perceptivity, sagaciousness, sagacity, sageness, sapience
    related: acuity, acumen, astuteness, clear-sightedness, keenness, penetration, percipience, perspicacity, sensitivity, understanding, appreciation, apprehension, comprehension, grasp, brain(s), braininess, brightness, brilliance, canniness, cleverness, gray matter, intellect, intelligence, judgment, mentality, power, reason, sense, smartness, wit, discrimination, foresight, foresightedness, judiciousness, prudence, sanity, logic, rationality
    near: density, dullness, obtuseness, brainlessness, folly, foolishness, idiocy, imbecility, mindlessness, silliness, simplemindedness, simpleness, stupidity, witlessness, illogic, irrationality, unreasonableness, unsoundness, craziness, insanity, lunacy, madness, preposterousness, senselessness, zaniness

  2. a body of facts learned by study or experience

    "the orientation meetings will provide the company's old hands with an opportunity to pass on their wisdom to the new employees"

    similar: knowledge, lore, science
    related: dope, information, intelligence, know, lowdown, news, skinny (slang), data, evidence, facts, acquaintance, awareness, familiarity, literacy, erudition, learning, scholarship, expertise, know-how
    near: ignorance, inexperience, innocence, nescience, unfamiliarity

  3. the ability to make intelligent decisions especially in everyday matters

    "had overstayed her welcome and lacked the wisdom to know it"

    similar: common sense, discreetness, discretion, gumption (chiefly dialect), horse sense, levelheadedness, nous (chiefly British), policy, prudence, sense, sensibleness, wit
    related: street smarts, farsightedness, forehandedness, foresight, foresightedness, forethoughtfulness, judgment, brains, gray matter, intelligence, logicality, logicalness, practicality, rationality, rationalness, discernment, discrimination, insight, sagacity, sapience, acumen, astuteness, clearheadedness, keenness, penetration, perspicacity, shrewdness, care, caution, circumspection, precaution, premeditation
    opposite: imprudence, indiscretion
    near: shortsightedness, brainlessness, foolishness, half-wittedness, idiocy, senselessness, stupidity, carelessness, heedlessness, unreasonableness

  4. suitability for bringing about a desired result under the circumstances

    "wondered about the wisdom of hiring such an inexperienced girl to care for the children"

    similar: advisability, advisableness, desirability, desirableness, expedience, expediency, judiciousness, prudence
    related: advantageousness, beneficialness, profitability, feasibility, practicality, usefulness, opportuneness, seasonableness, timeliness
    opposite: imprudence, inadvisability, inexpedience, inexpediency, injudiciousness, unwisdom
    near: impracticality, infeasibility, inopportuneness, unseasonableness, untimeliness

Related Entry: Conventional wisdom (noun)

Conventional wisdom is a different word from Wisdom. The synonyms below are for conventional wisdom, not for wisdom.

  1. opinions or beliefs that are held or accepted by most people

    "Conventional wisdom in Hollywood says that a movie can't succeed unless it stars a famous actor or actress."

    similar: party line, routine, banality, bromide, chestnut, cliché, commonplace, groaner, homily, platitude, shibboleth, trope, truism, inanity, generality, generalization, simplification, adage, proverb, saw, saying, old wives' tale, stereotype
    opposite: profundity

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Wisdom

The most common words with a similar meaning to Wisdom:

Chiefly dialect: gumption
Chiefly British: nous
discernment, insight, perception, perceptiveness, perceptivity, sagaciousness, sagacity, sageness, sapience, knowledge, lore, science, common sense, discreetness, discretion, horse sense, levelheadedness, policy, prudence, sense, sensibleness, wit, advisability, advisableness, desirability, desirableness, expedience, expediency, judiciousness

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Wisdom

Words with the opposite meaning of Wisdom:

imprudence, indiscretion, inadvisability, inexpedience, inexpediency, injudiciousness, unwisdom

Related Words for Wisdom

acuity, acumen, astuteness, clear-sightedness, keenness, penetration, percipience, perspicacity, sensitivity, understanding, appreciation, apprehension, comprehension, grasp, brain(s), braininess, brightness, brilliance, canniness, cleverness, gray matter, intellect, intelligence, judgment, mentality, power, reason, smartness, discrimination, foresight

Near Antonyms of Wisdom

density, dullness, obtuseness, brainlessness, folly, foolishness, idiocy, imbecility, mindlessness, silliness, simplemindedness, simpleness, stupidity, witlessness, illogic, irrationality, unreasonableness, unsoundness, craziness, insanity, lunacy, madness, preposterousness, senselessness, zaniness, ignorance, inexperience, innocence, nescience, unfamiliarity

Origin & Etymology of Wisdom

Middle English, from Old English wīsdōm, from wīs wise

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Wisdom

Words & Phrases Containing Wisdom

Wisdom of Solomon, wisdom tooth, conventional wisdom, in someone's (infinite) wisdom, pearl of wisdom

Frequently Asked Questions about Wisdom

What does "Wisdom" mean?

"Wisdom" means ability to discern inner qualities and relationships, insight. As a noun, it is defined as: ability to discern inner qualities and relationships, insight. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Wisdom"?

Other words for "Wisdom" include discernment, insight, perception, perceptiveness, perceptivity, sagaciousness, sagacity and sageness. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Wisdom" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Wisdom"?

There are 107 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Wisdom". Common alternatives include discernment, insight, perception, perceptiveness, perceptivity, sagaciousness, sagacity, sageness, sapience and knowledge.

What is the opposite of "Wisdom"?

Antonyms of "Wisdom" include imprudence, indiscretion, inadvisability, inexpedience, inexpediency, injudiciousness and unwisdom. Near antonyms include density, dullness, obtuseness and brainlessness.

How do you use "Wisdom" in a sentence?

Examples of "Wisdom" in a sentence: "with age and experience comes wisdom—hopefully"; "neither book learning nor simple intelligence should be confused with wisdom"; "the orientation meetings will provide the company's old hands with an opportunity to pass on their wisdom to the new employees".

Is "Wisdom" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Wisdom" is a noun.

Is "Wisdom" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Wisdom" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+.

How do you pronounce "Wisdom"?

"Wisdom" is pronounced /ˈwiz-dəm/ and divided into syllables as wis·dom.