scholarly

Everyday

1. Scholarly describes a person who studies a lot and knows a great deal about a subject. tree →
2. A scholarly book or article is serious, careful writing by experts, with facts checked and sources given. tree →
3. Scholarly can describe a quiet, bookish way of looking or behaving, like someone who loves learning. tree →

In the lessons

In school it often describes serious sources for a project: a scholarly article is written by experts and is more trustworthy than a random web page. In stories a scholarly character is usually a professor, librarian or wise old person with glasses and books. Phrases: «scholarly work», «scholarly article», «scholarly journal», «a scholarly man».

Examples

• My grandad is a scholarly man who reads history books every night. tree →
• The museum guide gave a scholarly talk about the Romans. tree →
• For our project, Miss Patel wants at least one scholarly source. tree →
• A scholarly journal is read mostly by experts. tree →
• The old wizard had a scholarly look, with ink on his fingers. tree →
• She wrote a scholarly book about the birds of New Zealand. tree →
• His glasses and pile of books made him look very scholarly. tree →

Note

It is an adjective even though it ends in -ly; it is not an adverb (you cannot say «he spoke scholarly»; say «he spoke in a scholarly way»). Comes from «scholar» (a person who studies). Do not confuse with «scholarship» (money given to help a student study, or careful learning).