pejorative language - Word for someone seeming deep and intelligent, but not really being that


What is the word for someone trying to seem/be deep and intelligent, but really they are shallow, and not at all being insightful.


Pedant is about rules, so that is disqualified, the closest I could find is pseudointellectual, but that feels like cheating and clumsy as it is a simple compound word.



Answer



It's not common, but sciolist seems to have the required definition.



One who exhibits only superficial knowledge; a self-proclaimed expert with little real understanding.



I prefer this to sophist, which I think has a suggestion of deceit rather than just ignorance or error.


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