donnish

[ don-ish ]

adjective

1. resembling or characteristic of a university don; scholarly; pedantic.

donnish

/ ˈdɒnɪʃ /

adjective

1. of or resembling a university don

Derived Forms

• ˈdonnishness, noun
• ˈdonnishly, adverb

Other Words From

• donnish·ly adverb
• donnish·ness noun
• donnism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of donnish¹

First recorded in 1845–50; don ¹ + -ish ¹

Example Sentences

In his cap and gown, he looked whatever the opposite of donnish is.

From The New Yorker

Simons has retained a donnish air from his days as a lecturer.

From The Guardian

I think when I meet those arguments I tend to become a bit donnish, perhaps slightly finger-wagging.

From BBC

Mark even looked like one of those donnish figures fictionalised in the pages of the Cold War thrillers he loved.

From BBC

He still fires up the forge now and then, either to do donnish demonstrations for new hires or to make things: door hinges, fireplace sets, a shovel for his son’s pizza oven.

From The New Yorker

Related Words

• abstruse
• pompous
• stilted