''sophomore'' ▫ᴱᴺ Entries

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''sophomore'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20260331180822-00-⌔

sophomore - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

Adjective

sophomore (not comparable)

• (US) The second in a series, especially, the second of an artist’s albums or the second of four years in a high school (tenth grade) or university.
  • ✤ Coordinate term: debut
  • ✤ The band’s sophomore album built upon the success of their debut release, catapulting them to megastardom.
  • ✤ “Blonde,” which is spelled “Blond” on the album cover and “Blonde” on Apple and elsewhere, hews more closely to what was expected from a sophomore release by one of the most lauded and enigmatic young singers in pop music.¹
  • ✤ I pledged for DKA my sophomore year and went through a rigorous process of weekly meetings and projects, each designed to build fraternal bonds and to teach values such as honesty, reliability and generosity.²
  • ✤ Spike Lee’s sophomore film, after his micro-budgeted and critically acclaimed debut, “She’s Gotta Have It,” was this big, bold ensemble musical set on the campus of a Historically Black College over a busy homecoming weekend.³
• Sophomoric.

Noun

sophomore (plural sophomores)

• (US, Philippines) A second-year undergraduate student in a college or university, or a second-year student in a four-year secondary school or high school.
  • ✤ She was very mature for a sophomore and had several friends who were juniors or even seniors.
• (US, horse-racing) A three -year-old horse.
  • ✤ The filly had looked promising as a sophomore, but concerns over her health had prompted the owner to pull her from the season’s early races.

Etymology

From earlier sophumer, from the obsolete sophom, sophum (“sophism or dialectical exercise”), from Ancient Greek σόφισμα (sóphisma). Likely influenced by Ancient Greek σοφός (sophós, “wise”) + μωρός (mōrós, “fool”). Compare oxymoron (literally “sharp-dull”), a similar contradiction.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈsɒf.ə.mɔː/
  • Audio (Southern England): 🔊
• (US) IPA: /ˈsɑf.mɔɹ/, /ˈsɔf.mɔɹ/
  • Audio (US): 🔊
• (Canada) IPA: /ˈsɒf(ə)mɔɹ/
  • Audio (Canada): 🔊

Printed 2026-06-28.

(echo:: @ ⌗)

Footnotes

1. 2016 August 21, Joe Coscarelli, “Frank Ocean Finally Delivers His Album, and a Pop-Up Surprise”, in The New York Times ‎${}^{[1]}$, →ISSN, archived from the original on 8 November 2020: ↩

2. 2020 June 30, Spencer Wright, “My fraternity taught me the secret to surviving a pandemic”, in CNN ‎${}^{[2]}$: ↩

3. 2021 March 5, Jason Bailey, “Watch These 13 Titles on Netflix Before They Leave This Month”, in The New York Times ‎${}^{[3]}$, →ISSN, archived from the original on 6 March 2021: ↩

Link to original

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