{
    "term": "wisdom",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "b2",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "the ability to make sensible decisions and give good advice because of the experience and knowledge that you have",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She was known to be a woman of great wisdom."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Do you have any more words of wisdom for us?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He is too lacking in **worldly wisdom** to be a politician."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Consultants are too often seen as the source of all wisdom."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Do you have any wisdom to impart on this subject?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He entertained the audience for two hours with his wit and wisdom."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The former world champion imparted a few words of wisdom to the young runners."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Children need to feel that their parents are in control; they don't have the experience or wisdom to know best."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I was not quite so lacking in worldly wisdom as to accept this invitation from a complete stranger."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Life stages", "Personal qualities"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["deep", "great", "profound"],
                "verb + wisdom": ["challenge", "doubt", "have doubts about"],
                "wisdom + verb": [
                    "dictate something",
                    "have it that…",
                    "hold something"
                ],
                "preposition": ["according to… wisdom", "contrary to… wisdom"],
                "phrases": [
                    "a fount of wisdom",
                    "a source of wisdom",
                    "in somebody’s wisdom"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "how sensible something is",
            "sensetop": "wisdom of (doing) something",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "I **question the wisdom of** giving a child so much money."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It's easy enough to see what we should have done, with the wisdom of hindsight."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The latest unemployment figures prove the wisdom of the government's policy."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Several people questioned the wisdom of building in that particular spot."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Many commentators doubted the political wisdom of introducing a new tax."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["deep", "great", "profound"],
                "verb + wisdom": ["challenge", "doubt", "have doubts about"],
                "wisdom + verb": [
                    "dictate something",
                    "have it that…",
                    "hold something"
                ],
                "preposition": ["according to… wisdom", "contrary to… wisdom"],
                "phrases": [
                    "a fount of wisdom",
                    "a source of wisdom",
                    "in somebody’s wisdom"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "the knowledge that a society or culture has gained over a long period of time",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "the collective wisdom of our people"
                },
                {
                    "text": "You cannot just ignore the accumulated wisdom of a whole culture."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Traditional wisdom was passed on from generation to generation."
                },
                {
                    "text": "the accumulated wisdom of generations"
                },
                {
                    "text": "We need to combine ancient wisdom and modern knowledge."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Those who seek wisdom at the shrine will find it."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They would go to the holy shrines to seek wisdom."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She devoted her life to the pursuit of wisdom."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The monks dedicate their lives to prayer and the pursuit of wisdom."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["deep", "great", "profound"],
                "verb + wisdom": ["challenge", "doubt", "have doubts about"],
                "wisdom + verb": [
                    "dictate something",
                    "have it that…",
                    "hold something"
                ],
                "preposition": ["according to… wisdom", "contrary to… wisdom"],
                "phrases": [
                    "a fount of wisdom",
                    "a source of wisdom",
                    "in somebody’s wisdom"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "the view or belief that most people hold",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Conventional wisdom has it that riots only ever happen in cities."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Conventional wisdom has it that all sense of community has gone, but that is not the case where I live."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The received wisdom is that the book is always better than the film."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Contrary to conventional wisdom, stress is not always a bad thing."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Popular wisdom has it that higher oil prices are bad for economic growth."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "used when you are saying that you do not understand why somebody has done something",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The government in its wisdom has decided to support the ban."
                },
                {
                    "text": "In their infinite wisdom they have decided to close the main road during the holiday season."
                },
                {
                    "text": "In their infinite wisdom, the council closed the swimming pool for the school holidays."
                },
                {
                    "text": "In their infinite wisdom, they closed the swimming pool at the busiest time of year."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "a wise remark",
            "labels": "(usually ironic)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Thank you for those pearls of wisdom."
                },
                {
                    "text": "students eager to catch pearls of wisdom from the professor's lips"
                },
                {
                    "text": "They would treat these pearls of wisdom with some scepticism."
                },
                {
                    "text": "His journals are full of dubious pearls of homespun wisdom."
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈwɪzdəm/",
                "audio": "wi/wisdom/wisdom__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈwɪzdəm/",
                "audio": "wi/wisdom/wisdom__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Old English wīsdōm (see wise, -dom)."
}