Schoolboy

'skuːlbɔɪ

nounBeginner📊CommonAcademic
1 meaning2 questions

Definitions

1

A young male student, typically attending primary or secondary school.

'skuːlbɔɪ

nounneutralBeginner
Academic

A male student attending a school.

The schoolboy diligently completed his homework every evening.

💡 Simply: A schoolboy is a boy who goes to school to learn stuff. Like, if you see a boy with a backpack heading to class, he's probably a schoolboy! Remember those days? They probably weren't as bad as you remember.

👶 For kids: A schoolboy is a boy who goes to school!

More Examples

2

The teacher asked the schoolboy to read aloud to the class.

3

He remembered being a schoolboy, eager to play during recess.

How It's Used

General Education

"The schoolboy was excited about the upcoming field trip."

Literature

"The novel followed the adventures of a young schoolboy during wartime."

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

From Middle English "scoleboy," a combination of "scole" (school) and "boy." Reflects the historical context where boys were the primary attendees in formal education, and therefore, a schoolboy was the archetype of a student.

Historically, the term "schoolboy" often implied a certain social standing, often associated with the middle or upper classes due to the cost of education.

Memory tip

Think of the image of a boy at school, learning his lessons.

Word Origin

LanguageOld English
Original meaning

"Related to 'scōl' (school) and 'bōga' (boy)"

young schoolboyformer schoolboylocal schoolboy

Common misspellings

school boy

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written