didactic

[ dahy-dak-tik ]

adjective

1. intended for instruction; instructive:

   didactic poetry.

2. inclined to teach or lecture others too much:

   a boring, didactic speaker.

   Synonyms: pedagogical, donnish, preachy, pedantic

3. teaching or intending to teach a moral lesson.
4. didactics, (used with a singular verb) the art or science of teaching.

didactic

/ dɪˈdæktɪk /

adjective

1. intended to instruct, esp excessively
2. morally instructive; improving
3. (of works of art or literature) containing a political or moral message to which aesthetic considerations are subordinated

Derived Forms

• diˈdacticism, noun
• diˈdactically, adverb

Other Words From

• di·dacti·cal·ly adverb
• di·dacti·cism noun
• nondi·dactic adjective
• nondi·dacti·cal·ly adverb
• undi·dactic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of didactic¹

First recorded in 1635–45; from Greek didaktikós “apt at teaching, instructive,” from didakt(ós) “that may be taught, teachable” (from didáskein “to teach”) + -ikos -ic

Word History and Origins

Origin of didactic¹

C17: from Greek didaktikos skilled in teaching, from didaskein to teach

Example Sentences

Kapadia sees “All We Imagine as Light” as a political statement, too, though it avoids being didactic.

From Los Angeles Times

Like with "Figaro," the subject matter is not explicit, but even though composers nowadays do not face the same censorial challenges as Mozart and Verdi, Lucero deems it artistically wise not to get too didactic anyway.

From Salon

“Once you get didactic, that’s it. You’ve lost them.”

From Salon

"I guess what the show is saying, and we're never didactic about this stuff, is that Pierpoint and the wider capitalist enterprise turbocharge some of their worst instincts," says Kay.

From BBC

In 2016, when the state’s TK program was last evaluated, researchers found that teachers spent 59% of their classroom time on “didactic instruction,” which means imparting information and instructions to students rather than encouraging independent thinking and play.

From Los Angeles Times