wisdom

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wis·dom

(wĭz′dəm)

1. The ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting; insight.

2. Common sense; good judgment: "It is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things" (Henry David Thoreau).

a. The sum of learning through the ages; knowledge: "In those homely sayings was couched the collective wisdom of generations" (Maya Angelou).

b. Wise teachings of the ancient sages.

4. A wise outlook, plan, or course of action.

5. Wisdom Bible Wisdom of Solomon.

[Middle English, from Old English wīsdōm; see weid- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

wisdom

(ˈwɪzdəm)

1. the ability or result of an ability to think and act utilizing knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense, and insight

2. accumulated knowledge, erudition, or enlightenment

3. archaic a wise saying or wise sayings or teachings

4. obsolete soundness of mind

[Old English wīsdōm; see wise¹, -dom]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

wis•dom

(ˈwɪz dəm)

n.

1. the quality or state of being wise; sagacity, discernment, or insight.

2. scholarly knowledge or learning.

3. wise sayings or teachings; precepts.

4. a wise act or saying.

[before 900; Middle English, Old English wīsdōm; see wise¹, -dom]

Wisdom

See also ideas; knowledge; learning; thinking.

adage

a maxim, axiom, proverb, or old saying.

analect

a collection of teachings, as the Analects of Confucius.

gnosis

a superior form of wisdom, as that of the Gnostics, supposed to have been acquired mystically. See also mysticism.

logia

maxims or sayings attributed to a religious leader. See also christ; religion.

protasis

Rare. a proposition or maxim. See also drama; grammar.

sophomania

an excessive respect for one’s own wisdom.

Wisdom

See Also: EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE

Chewing over their combined worldly wisdom like so many puppies with a shoe —Mary Ladd Cavell
The wisdom in CavelPs story, The Rotifer, is being shared by three apartment mates.
The heart of the wise man lies quiet like limpid water —Cameroonian proverb
The heart of the wise, like a mirror, should reflect all objects, without being sullied —Confucius
If a man is as wise as a serpent, he can afford to be as harmless as a dove —Josh Billings
This is an elaboration of “Harmless as a dove” which dates back to the Bible. In Billings’ phonetic dialect this reads, “Iz az wize az a serpent.”
Insight as keen as frosty star —William Wordsworth
A learned man is a tank; a wise man is a spring —William R. Alger
String of wise jests … like gold links —Penelope Gilliatt
To learn a person’s life … like learning a language, you must start with the little things, the little pictures —Susan Fromberg Schaeffer
Wisdom and virtue are like two wheels of a cart —Japanese proverb See Also: VIRTUE
Wisdom in a poor man is like a diamond set in lead —H. G. Bohn’s Handbook of Proverbs
Wisdom is like fire: a little enlightens, much burns —Moses Ibn Ezra
Wisdom is like gold ore, mixed with stones and dust —Moses Ibn Ezra
Wisdom, like life itself, appeared to me to be comprised of continuing progress, of starting over again, of patience —Marguerite Yourcenar
Wisdom, like perfume, rises out of its own essence —Norman Mailer
Wisdom shook itself like a drop off a dog (and he lost it) —Cynthia Ozick
Wise as a wisp —George Garrett
Wise as heaven —Algernon Charles Swinburne

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	wisdom - accumulated knowledge or erudition or enlightenment cognitive content, mental object, content - the sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned abstrusity, profundity, reconditeness, profoundness, abstruseness - wisdom that is recondite and abstruse and profound; "the anthropologist was impressed by the reconditeness of the native proverbs"
	2.	wisdom - the trait of utilizing knowledge and experience with common sense and insight wiseness trait - a distinguishing feature of your personal nature judiciousness, sagaciousness, sagacity - the trait of forming opinions by distinguishing and evaluating knowledgeability, knowledgeableness, initiation - wisdom as evidenced by the possession of knowledge; "his knowledgeability impressed me"; "his dullness was due to lack of initiation" statecraft, statesmanship, diplomacy - wisdom in the management of public affairs discernment, discretion - the trait of judging wisely and objectively; "a man of discernment" folly, foolishness, unwiseness - the trait of acting stupidly or rashly
	3.	wisdom - ability to apply knowledge or experience or understanding or common sense and insight sapience deepness, astuteness, profoundness, profundity, depth - the intellectual ability to penetrate deeply into ideas sagaciousness, sagacity, discernment, judgement, judgment - the mental ability to understand and discriminate between relations know-how - the (technical) knowledge and skill required to do something
	4.	wisdom - the quality of being prudent and sensible wiseness, soundness goodness, good - that which is pleasing or valuable or useful; "weigh the good against the bad"; "among the highest goods of all are happiness and self-realization" advisability - the quality of being advisable; "they questioned the advisability of our policy" reasonableness - goodness of reason and judgment; "the judiciary is built on the reasonableness of judges"
	5.	Wisdom - an Apocryphal book consisting mainly of a meditation on wisdom; although ascribed to Solomon it was probably written in the first century BC Wisdom of Solomon Apocrypha - 14 books of the Old Testament included in the Vulgate (except for II Esdras) but omitted in Jewish and Protestant versions of the Bible; eastern Christian churches (except the Coptic Church) accept all these books as canonical; the Russian Orthodox Church accepts these texts as divinely inspired but does not grant them the same status sapiential book, wisdom book, wisdom literature - any of the biblical books (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus) that are considered to contain wisdom

wisdom

noun

1. understanding, learning, knowledge, intelligence, smarts (slang, chiefly U.S.), judgment, insight, enlightenment, penetration, comprehension, foresight, erudition, discernment, sagacity, sound judgment, sapience a man respected for his wisdom and insight
understanding stupidity, foolishness

2. knowledge, learning, philosophy, scholarship, lore Semitic wisdom, religion and faith

3. prudence, reason, sense, intelligence, logic, circumspection, astuteness, judiciousness Many have expressed doubts about the wisdom of the decision.
prudence bêtise (rare), nonsense, folly, stupidity, absurdity, foolishness, silliness, idiocy, senselessness, daftness (informal), injudiciousness

Related words
adjective sagacious
like sophomania

Quotations
"Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers" [Alfred, Lord Tennyson Locksley Hall]
"Wisdom denotes the pursuing of the best ends by the best means" [Francis Hutcheson Inquiry into the Original of our Ideas of Beauty and Virtue]
"The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook" [William James Principles of Psychology]
"Be wiser than other people if you can, but do not tell them so" [Lord Chesterfield]
"wise enough to play the fool" [William Shakespeare Twelfth Night]
"The price of wisdom is above rubies" Bible: Job
"Some folks are wise, and some are otherwise" [Tobias Smollett Roderick Random]
"But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?" Bible: Job
"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting get understanding" Bible: Proverbs
"It is the province of knowledge to speak and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen" [Oliver Wendell Holmes The Poet at the Breakfast-Table]

Proverbs
"Don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs"

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

wisdom

noun

1. Deep, thorough, or mature understanding:

insight, profundity, sagaciousness, sagacity, sageness, sapience.

2. The ability to make sensible decisions:

common sense, judgment, sense.

Informal: gumption, horse sense.

3. That which is known; the sum of what has been perceived, discovered, or inferred:

information, knowledge, lore.

Translations

حِكْمَةحِكْمَه

moudrost

visdomindsigtklogskab

Weisheit

σοφία

sabiduría

tarkus

viisaus

sagesse

mudrost

bölcsesség

hyggindi, dómgreind, vísdómur

saggezza sapienza

賢明

지혜

múdrosť

modrost

visdom

สติปัญญา ความเฉลียวฉลาด

akıllılıkbilgelikzeka

sự thông thái

智慧

wisdom

[ˈwɪzdəm]

A. N → sabiduría f
he is a man of great wisdom → es un hombre de gran sabiduría
I question the wisdom of that decision → dudo que sea una decisión acertada
I would question the wisdom of attempting such a thing → no me parece acertado intentarlo
in my wisdom, I decided to ignore their advice (iro) → dando muestras de mi gran sabiduría, decidí hacer caso omiso de su consejo

B. CPD wisdom tooth N → muela f del juicio

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

wisdom

[ˈwɪzdəm] n

[person] → sagesse f

[society, culture] → sagesse f

[decision, action] → sagesse fwisdom tooth n → dent f de sagesse

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

wisdom

n → Weisheit f; (= prudence) → Einsicht f; to show great wisdom → große Klugheit or Einsicht zeigen; to doubt the wisdom of something → bezweifeln, ob etw klug or sinnvoll ist; the conventional wisdom → die herkömmliche Überzeugung

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

wisdom

[ˈwɪzd/əm] n (of person) → saggezza; (of remark, action) → opportunità

wise

(waiz) adjective

1. having gained a great deal of knowledge from books or experience or both and able to use it well.

2. sensible. You would be wise to do as he suggests; a wise decision.

ˈwisely adverb

wisdom (ˈwizdəm) noun

Wisdom comes with experience.

wisdom tooth (ˈwizdəm-)

any one of the four back teeth cut after childhood, usually about the age of twenty.

ˈwisecrack noun

a joke.

wise guy

a person who (shows that he) thinks that he is smart, knows everything etc.

be wise to

to be fully aware of. He thinks I'm going to give him some money, but I'm wise to his plan.

none the wiser

not knowing any more than before. He tried to explain the rules to me, but I'm none the wiser.

put (someone) wise

to tell, inform (someone) of the real facts.

wisdom

→ حِكْمَة moudrost visdom Weisheit σοφία sabiduría viisaus sagesse mudrost saggezza 賢明 지혜 wijsheid klokhet mądrość sabedoria мудрость visdom สติปัญญา ความเฉลียวฉลาด zeka sự thông thái 智慧

References in classic literature ?

Wisdom for a man's self is, in many branches thereof, a depraved thing.

View in context

Then the man in the tree answered, 'Lift up thine eyes, for behold here I sit in the sack of wisdom; here have I, in a short time, learned great and wondrous things.

View in context

and what does he charge?' 'Evenus the Parian,' he replied; 'he is the man, and his charge is five minae.' Happy is Evenus, I said to myself, if he really has this wisdom, and teaches at such a moderate charge.

View in context

And if there are some who think that a prince who conveys an impression of his wisdom is not so through his own ability, but through the good advisers that he has around him, beyond doubt they are deceived, because this is an axiom which never fails: that a prince who is not wise himself will never take good advice, unless by chance he has yielded his affairs entirely to one person who happens to be a very prudent man.

View in context

And here, in defiance of all the barking critics in the world, I must and will introduce a digression concerning true wisdom, of which Mr Allworthy was in reality as great a pattern as he was of goodness.

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SOCRATES: And in general, all that the soul attempts or endures, when under the guidance of wisdom, ends in happiness; but when she is under the guidance of folly, in the opposite?

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This may seem like a ponderous weight of wisdom to descend upon the soul of a young woman of twenty-eight--perhaps more wisdom than the Holy Ghost is usually pleased to vouchsafe to any woman.

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I do not think that I misapprehend your meaning, Thrasymachus, I replied; but still I cannot hear without amazement that you class injustice with wisdom and virtue, and justice with the opposite.

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GRANDFATHER was struck by Laurence's idea that the historic chair should utter a voice, and thus pour forth the collected wisdom of two centuries.

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"The highest wisdom and truth are like the purest liquid we may wish to imbibe," he said.

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In all associations of men there is generally one who, by the authority of age and of a more experienced wisdom, imparts a collective character to the whole set.

View in context

There is more sagacity in thy body than in thy best wisdom. And who then knoweth why thy body requireth just thy best wisdom?