academic

[ ak-uh-dem-ik ]

adjective

1. of or relating to a college, academy, school, or other educational institution:

   academic requirements.

2. pertaining to areas of study that are not primarily vocational or applied, as the humanities or pure mathematics.

   Synonyms: liberal, humanist

3. theoretical or hypothetical; not practical, realistic, or directly useful:

   an academic question;

   an academic discussion of a matter already decided.

4. learned or scholarly but lacking in worldliness, common sense, or practicality.

   Synonyms: theoretical

5. conforming to set rules, standards, or traditions; conventional:

   academic painting.

6. acquired by formal education, especially at a college or university:

   academic preparation for the ministry.

7. Academic, of or relating to Academe or to the Platonic school of philosophy.

noun

1. a student or teacher at a college or university.
2. a person who is academic in background, attitudes, methods, etc.:

   He was by temperament an academic, concerned with books and the arts.

3. Academic, a person who supports or advocates the Platonic school of philosophy.
4. academics, the scholarly activities of a school or university, as classroom studies or research projects:

   more emphasis on academics and less on athletics.

academic

/ ˌækəˈdɛmɪk /

adjective

1. belonging or relating to a place of learning, esp a college, university, or academy
2. of purely theoretical or speculative interest

   an academic argument

3. excessively concerned with intellectual matters and lacking experience of practical affairs
4. (esp of a schoolchild) having an aptitude for study
5. conforming to set rules and traditions; conventional

   an academic painter

6. relating to studies such as languages, philosophy, and pure science, rather than applied, technical, or professional studies

noun

1. a member of a college or university

Derived Forms

• ˌacaˈdemically, adverb

Other Word Forms

• an·ti·ac·a·dem·ic adjective noun
• in·ter·ac·a·dem·ic adjective
• non·ac·a·dem·ic adjective noun
• pro·ac·a·dem·ic adjective
• pseu·do·ac·a·dem·ic adjective
• qua·si-ac·a·dem·ic adjective
• sem·i·ac·a·dem·ic adjective
• sub·ac·a·dem·ic adjective
• un·ac·a·dem·ic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of academic¹

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin Acadēmicus, from Greek Akadēmeikós. See academy, academe, -ic

Synonym Study

See formal.

Example Sentences

Levitsky, who is Jewish, believes the administration is using anti-antisemitism “as a pretext,” and said that attacking academics is a classic tactic of strong men.

From Los Angeles Times

The University of Birmingham said it had a "strong and longstanding commitment to freedom of speech and academic freedom" backed by its code of conduct.

From BBC

A team of scientists, led by a University of Essex academic, recorded the footage in March during a 35-day quest to find new marine life.

From BBC

Compliance, however, amounted to consenting to what Stanford professor Adrian Daub calls "a controlled demolition, with each demand a charge to knock out another pillar of academic freedom."

From Salon

"There's more the government can do if it wants to attack Harvard, and I'm not optimistic that it's going to stop after cutting $2.2 billion," Matthew Tobin, the academic representative on Harvard's student council.

From BBC

Related Words

• collegiate
• intellectual
• scholarly
• scholastic