savant
noun
sa·vant
| \ sa-ˈvänt
, sə-, -ˈväⁿ; sə-ˈvant, ˈsa-vənt\
, sə-, -ˈväⁿ; sə-ˈvant, ˈsa-vənt\
Definition of savant
1
: a person of learning
especially
: one with detailed knowledge in some specialized field (as of science or literature)
2
: a person affected with a developmental disorder (such as autism or intellectual disability) who exhibits exceptional skill or brilliance in some limited field (such as mathematics or music)
especially
: autistic savant — see also savant syndrome
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Examples of savant in a Sentence
a savant in the field of medical ethics
Recent Examples on the Web
There are examples of elite athletes, like tennis star Rafael Nadal and baseball hitting savant Ichiro Suzuki, who were pushed by relatives to play left-handed to gain a competitive advantage. — Sam Fortier, courant.com, "Why aren’t there any left-handed quarterbacks in the NFL?," 15 Aug. 2019 Dave Walker was his first pitching coach, an engineering savant from the oil business in eastern Kentucky who had a knack for unpacking the way things worked, including Verlander. — Tom Verducci, SI.com, "Walker Buehler Has the Arm, Arsenal and Attitude to Be a Star," 13 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'savant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for savant
savant
noun
sa·vant
| \ sa-ˈvänt, sə-, -ˈvant
\
\
Medical Definition of savant
: a person affected with a developmental disorder (as autism or intellectual disability) who exhibits exceptional skill or brilliance in some limited field (as mathematics or music)
especially
: autistic savant — see savant syndrome