Word of the Day : October 24, 2020

sophomoric \sahf-MOR-ik\ adjective

Definition

1 : conceited and overconfident of knowledge but poorly informed and immature

2 : lacking in maturity, taste, or judgment

Did You Know?

Sophomores get a bad rap. A lot of people seem to think they're foolish (no matter what they do), when they themselves know they're pretty wise. The history of the words sophomore and sophomoric (which developed from sophomore) proves that it has always been tough to be a sophomore. Those words probably come from a combination of the Greek terms sophos (which means "wise") and mōros (which means "foolish"). But sophomores can take comfort in the fact that some very impressive words, including philosopher and sophisticated, are also related to sophos.

Aired October 24, 2020

All Merriam-Webster content is available at www.merriam-webster.com