unacademic

adjective

un·​ac·​a·​dem·​ic ˌən-ˌa-kə-ˈde-mik How to pronounce unacademic (audio)
: not academic: such as
a
: not relating to schools and formal education
unacademic pursuits
b
: not having or showing an interest in or an aptitude for academic studies
… secondary art schools for bright but unacademic youths …Ray Olson
unacademically adverb

Examples of unacademic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Lymie is slight of build, shy and bookish, while Spud is athletic, outgoing and unacademic. New York Times, 30 Aug. 2021 All of those Andys exist — sometimes simultaneously over a single paragraph — in Blake Gopnik’s Warhol, a frank, gossipy, but not unacademic chronicle of one of the 20th century’s most foundational and confounding figures. Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 5 May 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unacademic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1844, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unacademic was in 1844

Dictionary Entries Near unacademic

Cite this Entry

“Unacademic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unacademic. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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