Definition

Noun: A person who is able to learn and master new information, skills, or procedures very rapidly and with little apparent effort.

Usage

The term "quick study" is used to describe a person with a natural or highly developed aptitude for rapid learning. It is a complimentary label often applied in academic, professional, or artistic contexts.

Examples

• She mastered the new software in a day; she's always been a quick study.
• The director needed a quick study for the lead role after the original actor fell ill.
• As a quick study, he was able to grasp the complex legal arguments almost immediately.

Advanced Usage

• The phrase can sometimes be used attributively (like an adjective) before a noun.
  • We need a quick-study candidate for this fast-paced role.

Variants and Related Words

• Fast learner: A more literal and common synonym for "quick study."
• Aptitude: The natural ability to learn or understand something quickly and easily.

Synonyms

• Fast learner
• Natural
• Prodigy (implies exceptional, often innate talent, especially in youth)
• Adept (skilled, but not necessarily specifying the speed of acquisition)

Antonyms

• Slow learner
• Plodder (a person who makes slow but steady progress)

Related Idioms and Phrases

• To pick things up quickly: A phrasal verb phrase with a very similar meaning.
  • Don't worry, she picks things up very quickly.
• A sponge for knowledge: An idiomatic comparison, similar to the reference context, describing someone who absorbs information effortlessly.
  • He's a sponge for historical facts.

Noun

1. someone able to acquire new knowledge and skills rapidly and easily
   • she soaks up foreign languages like a sponge