sophist

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun any of a group of Greek philosophers and teachers in the 5th century BC who speculated on a wide range of subjects
  2. noun someone whose reasoning is subtle and often specious

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin sophista and sophistes, borrowed from Ancient Greek σοφιστής (sophistḗs, “wise one”), from σοφίζομαι (sophízomai, “to become wise”).

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