Renaissance man

See also: renaissance man

English

Alternative forms

• renaissance man

Etymology

After the Renaissance, as such a concept of man was developed in this period.

Noun

Renaissance man (plural Renaissance men)

1. A man with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge.

   Synonyms: polyhistor, polymath

   Coordinate term: Renaissance woman

   • 2002 September 22, William Norwich, “Talk is Chic”, in The New York Times Magazine‎^[1], page 88:

     Returning from the collections in Paris and Milan, a fashion-editor friend told me, “It's all about”—always the three most powerful words in retail—“Renaissance men.” The one-dimensional C.E.O. is over, he said. “Now it's all about men of multitalents.”

   • 2003, Cynthia Heimel, “Eschew the Renaissance Man!”, in Advanced Sex Tips for Girls, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 53:

     Any fellow who defines himself as a Renaissance man is telling you, in shorthand, "I am full of a quiet yet all-encompassing knowledge and no matter what you know, I will always know better than you and will chuckle with a quiet condescension whenever you challenge me and I might even smoke a pipe. […] ”

   • 2017 [2004], Frans Johansson, quoting Orit Gadiesh, The Medici Effect‎^[2], updated edition, Harvard Business Review Press, →ISBN:

     A Renaissance man is someone that can see trends and patterns and integrate what he knows. To me the modern Renaissance man is curious, interested in different things. You have to be willing to ‘waste time’ on things that are not directly relevant to your work because you are curious.

   • 2024 March 2, Harriet Agnew, quoting Howard Marks, “Renaissance man who bridged finance and the arts”, in FT Weekend, page 7:

     “Jacob [Rothschild] was truly a Renaissance man,” says Howard Marks, co-founder of $189bn investment powerhouse Oaktree Capital Management and a long-time friend.

2. (literally) A man who lived in the Renaissance period.

Further reading

• “Renaissance man”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.