# sophist

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈsɒfɪst/ · frequency rank #93,171

## Definitions
1. Alternative letter-case form of Sophist, certain teachers in Ancient Greece, particularly skilled orators.
2. A teacher who uses plausible but fallacious reasoning.
3. One who is captious, fallacious, or deceptive in argument.
4. Synonym of sophister (“university student who has completed at least one year”).

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

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/sophist