sophomore

The word “sophomore” means a student in their second year of high school or university. In plain terms, a second-year student, or the second thing in a series (album, season, etc).

“Sophomore” is pronounced SOF-uh-maw (/ˈsɑf.mɔɹ/ in IPA).

Here is “sophomore” used in a sentence: “As a sophomore, she finally got to choose her own electives.”

Depending on how it is used, “sophomore” can be a noun and an adjective.

The word “sophomore” comes from Greek. From an older word sophum, "a display of clever but flawed argument," from Greek sophisma — likely blended in people's minds with Greek sophos ("wise") and moros ("foolish"), giving the word its odd "wise fool" flavour.

“Sophomore” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Sophomore” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a student in their second year of high school or university.

A sophomore is a student in their second year of high school or university, while a freshman is a student in their first year. The terms are part of a sequence that continues with junior (third year) and senior (fourth year).

When used as an adjective, "sophomore" describes the second in a series, such as a musician's second album, often called a "sophomore album" or "sophomore release." This usage extends the academic sense of second-year status to any creative body of work.

A "sophomore slump" refers to a decline in performance or quality in someone's or something's second attempt, following a strong first effort, such as a student's second year or a band's second album. The term draws on the adjective sense of "sophomore" meaning the second in a series.