SKIP TO CONTENT

sophomore

sophomores

A sophomore is in their second year, either in high school or college. Once you became a sophomore, thinking you now knew everything, you pitied the freshmen for their confusion over how to write college papers.

Sophomore comes from the word sophism which means "a bad argument that's clever but false," and that's sometimes how sophomores in college act. They're not bright-eyed newcomers anymore, and think they know a lot, but really they've much to learn. We also use the word for other seconds: a band's second album is usually called their sophomore album.

Definitions of sophomore
  1. noun
    a second-year undergraduate
    synonyms: soph
    see moresee less
    type of:
    lowerclassman, underclassman
    an undergraduate who is not yet a senior
  2. adjective
    used of the second year in United States high school or college
    “the sophomore class”
    “his sophomore year”
    synonyms: second-year
    intermediate
    lying between two extremes in time or space or state
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘sophomore'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family
EDITOR'S CHOICE

Look up sophomore for the last time

Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.

VocabTrainer - Vocabulary.com's Vocabulary Trainer