wis·dom (w z d m)n. 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). 3. 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 w  sd m; see weid- in Indo-European roots.] |
wisdom [ˈwɪzdəm]
n
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 Related adjective sagacious
[Old English wīsdōm; see wise1, -dom]
Wisdom
a maxim, axiom, proverb, or old saying.
a collection of teachings, as the Analects of Confucius.
a superior form of wisdom, as that of the Gnostics, supposed to have been acquired mystically. See also mysticism.
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
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| 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 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" discernment, discretion - the trait of judging wisely and objectively; "a man of discernment" | |
| 3. | wisdom - ability to apply knowledge or experience or understanding or common sense and insight 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 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 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
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
prudence bêtise (rare), nonsense, folly, stupidity, absurdity, foolishness, silliness, idiocy, senselessness, daftness (informal), injudiciousness
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]
"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"
"Don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs"
Translations
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
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
wisdom
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