doctorate
Americannoun
-
any of several academic degrees of the highest rank, as the Ph.D. or Ed.D., awarded by universities and some colleges for completing advanced work in graduate school or a professional school.
-
an honorary degree conferring the title of doctor upon the recipient, as with the LL.D. degree.
noun
Other Word Forms
- predoctorate noun
Etymology
Origin of doctorate
First recorded in 1670–80; from Medieval Latin doctōrātus; see doctor, -ate 3
Explanation
A doctorate is an advanced university degree. Another name for a doctorate is a PhD. If you stick in school long enough, you just might end up with a doctorate (and a whole lot of debt). Many years of specialized study can result in a doctorate, which qualifies the graduate to teach at a college or university. To be awarded a doctorate, a student has to complete a dissertation or thesis, a huge research project that focuses on her area of study. Someone who has a doctorate is known as a "Doctor of Philosophy," and the word itself comes from the Medieval Latin root doctoratus, or "made a doctor."
Vocabulary lists containing doctorate
The Chosen
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Silent to the Bone
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We Are Okay
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While working on her doctorate at the University of Washington in Seattle, Mastick took an unconventional approach.
From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026
An honorary doctorate is the highest honour UU can bestow and is awarded to inspirational people who have made an outstanding impact in their field.
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026
After getting a doctorate in biophysics, Dario Amodei was working as an AI researcher at Google.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026
Bill and earned his bachelor’s degree in social sciences before pursuing a master’s in history from the same school before eventually earning a doctorate at USC.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026
After receiving his doctorate at Berkeley, Wilson fled to Princeton, which then was more accommodating to solitary inquiry in the old style.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
