What does "study" mean?
Mental effort to acquire knowledge or learning.
Study
/ˈstʌd.i/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Mental effort to acquire knowledge or learning.
- Grammar: study is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: discipline, subject, absence of mind, absentmindedness.
- Useful contrasts: bedroom, browse, cardroom.
- Usage evidence: The mandatory character of schooling is rarely analyzed in the multitude of works dedicated to the study of the various ways to develop within children the desire to learn.
How to use "study"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "study" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "study" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "study" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "study" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "study" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "discipline" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "study", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Mental effort to acquire knowledge or learning. countable, uncountable
"The study of languages is fascinating."
- 2 a detailed critical inspection wordnet
- 3 The act of studying or examining; examination. countable, uncountable
"I made a careful study of his sister."
- 4 preliminary drawing for later elaboration wordnet
- 5 Any particular branch of learning that is studied; any object of attentive consideration. countable, uncountable
"The Holy Scriptures, especially the New Testament, are her daily study."
Show 17 more definitions
- 6 a room used for reading and writing and studying wordnet
- 7 A room in a house intended for reading and writing; traditionally the private room of the male head of household. countable, uncountable
"Father spends all his time in the study poring over manuscripts."
- 8 a state of deep mental absorption wordnet
- 9 An artwork made in order to practise or demonstrate a subject or technique. countable, uncountable
"a study of heads or of hands for a figure picture"
- 10 applying the mind to learning and understanding a subject (especially by reading) wordnet
- 11 The human face, bearing an expression which the observer finds amusingly typical of a particular emotion or state of mind. countable, uncountable
"Geoffrey's face was a study."
- 12 attentive consideration and meditation wordnet
- 13 A piece for special practice; an etude. countable, uncountable
- 14 a branch of knowledge wordnet
- 15 An academic publication. countable, literary, uncountable
"That new study on noncommutative symmetries looks promising."
- 16 a composition intended to develop one aspect of the performer's technique wordnet
- 17 One who commits a theatrical part to memory. countable, uncountable
- 18 a written document describing the findings of some individual or group wordnet
- 19 An endgame problem composed for artistic merit, where one side is to play for a win or for a draw. countable, uncountable
- 20 someone who memorizes quickly and easily (as the lines for a part in a play) wordnet
- 21 A state of mental perplexity or worried thought. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"wel said the kynge thow mayst take myn hors by force but and I myȝte preue the whether thow were better on horsbak or I / wel said the knyght seke me here whan thow wolt and here nygh this wel thow shalt fynde me / and soo passyd on his weye / thenne the kyng sat in a study and bad his men fetche his hors as faste as euer they myghte"
- 22 Thought, as directed to a specific purpose; one's concern. archaic, countable, uncountable
"My study was to avoid disturbing her."
Verb
- 1 To review materials already learned in order to make sure one does not forget them, usually in preparation for an examination. intransitive, literary, transitive, usually
"Students are expected to start studying for final exams in March."
- 2 be a student of a certain subject wordnet
- 3 To take a course or courses on a subject. literary, transitive
"I study medicine at the university."
- 4 learn by reading books wordnet
- 5 To acquire knowledge on a subject with the intention of applying it in practice. transitive
"Biologists study living things."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 be a student; follow a course of study; be enrolled at an institute of learning wordnet
- 7 To look at carefully and minutely. transitive
"He studied the map in preparation for the hike."
- 8 consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning wordnet
- 9 To fix the mind closely upon a subject; to dwell upon anything in thought; to muse; to ponder. transitive
"July 10, 1732, Jonathan Swift, letter to Mr. Gay and The Duchess of Queensberry I found a moral first, and studied for a fable."
- 10 think intently and at length, as for spiritual purposes wordnet
- 11 To endeavor diligently; to be zealous. intransitive
"And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you […]"
- 12 give careful consideration to wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The mandatory character of schooling is rarely analyzed in the multitude of works dedicated to the study of the various ways to develop within children the desire to learn."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "study"?
Common synonyms include: discipline, subject, absence of mind, absentmindedness, absolute music, absorbed attention.
How do you use "study" in a sentence?
The mandatory character of schooling is rarely analyzed in the multitude of works dedicated to the study of the various ways to develop within children the desire to learn.
How do you pronounce "study"?
Pronounced /ˈstʌd.i/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Inherited from Middle English studien, from Old French estudier (Modern French étudier), from estudie (noun), borrowed from Latin studium. Displaced Old English cneordlæcan.
Etymology 2
Inherited from Middle English studie, from Old French estudie (Modern French étude), borrowed from Latin studium (“zeal, dedication, study”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewd- (“to push, to hit”). Doublet of etude and studio.