alumni

[ uh-luhm-nahy ]

noun

1. the plural of alumnus.

Example Sentences

He was born Feb. 9, 1985, in Leningrad and was a graduate of the distinguished Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, whose notable male alumni also include Mikhail Baryshnikov and Rudolf Nureyev.

From Los Angeles Times

The university is one of Scotland’s oldest, having been founded in 1583, and boasts links to 20 Nobel Prize laureates among its alumni - alongside current First Minister John Swinney and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

From BBC

In recent years, the company jettisoned metrics like class sizes and giving by alumni and added others, such as how first-generation students fare.

From New York Times

If we are looking for entertainment, which sports should be, keep walking that tightrope and forget the alumni!

From Los Angeles Times

Mr Vinson said the university was already "incredibly proud" that the first woman of colour to serve as vice-president was among its alumni.

From BBC

Related Words

• alum
• alumna

What Is The Plural Of Alumni?

Plural word for alumni

Alumni is the plural form of the singular noun alumnus. The plurals of several other words ending in -us are also formed in this way, such as fungus/fungi and cactus/cacti. 

Irregular plurals that are formed like alumni derive directly from their original pluralization in Latin. Specifically, alumnus is the masculine singular form in Latin and alumni is the masculine plural form. The feminine singular form in Latin is alumna and the feminine plural form is alumnae. Sometimes, this distinction is carried over into English. However, alumnus and alumni are both commonly used in a gender-neutral way in English.

Alumni is sometimes treated as a singular noun. However, this is not considered valid in standard English, and alumni should be treated as a plural form.

Alumni Vs. Alumnus Vs. Alum Vs. Alumna Vs. Alumnae

What’s the difference between alumni and alumnus?

An alumnus is a graduate of a school, such as a high school or university. The plural of alumnus is alumni (which follows the plural ending construction used in other Latin-derived words, like stimulus and stimuli).

In Latin, alumnus specifically refers to a male graduate, and sometimes this distinction is carried into English, with alumna being used to refer to a female graduate. The plural of alumna is alumnae.

Still, alumnus and alumni are both commonly used in a gender-neutral way.

The informal shortening alum is used to refer to a single graduate (regardless of gender). It’s sometimes pluralized as alums.

Here’s an example of alumni and alumnus used correctly in the same sentence.

Example: As an alumnus, you share something with all of the alumni, regardless of when each of you graduated. 

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between alumni and alumnus.

Quiz yourself on alumni vs. alumnus!

Should alumni or alumnus be used in the following sentence?

The five-year reunion is usually well attended by _____.