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postdoctoral

adjective

post·​doc·​tor·​al ˌpōs(t)-ˈdäk-t(ə-)rəl How to pronounce postdoctoral (audio)
ˈpōst-ˌdäk-
variants or less commonly postdoctorate
: being beyond the doctoral level:
a
: of or relating to advanced academic or professional work beyond a doctor's degree
a postdoctoral fellowship
b
: engaged in such work
postdoctoral scholars

Examples of postdoctoral in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Previous research has suggested climate shifts could be responsible for introductions of the plague at various points in history, but most studies were vague about it, according to Henry Fell, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Nottingham and the University of York in England. Evan Bush, NBC news, 4 Dec. 2025 According to Ben Hord, a NASA postdoctoral program fellow at the Goddard Space Flight Center who spoke at the 245th meeting of the American Astronomical Society last January, variations in the light of the star can mimic or erase the signal of water. Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 1 Dec. 2025 The collection, led by Scripps postdoctoral scholar Adi Khen and professor and marine ecologist Jennifer Smith, contains more than 300 different native and non-native seaweed species from around Southern California. Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Nov. 2025 But the process has been unsettling for young scientists like Clara Zundel, a postdoctoral researcher at Wayne State University in Detroit. Jon Hamilton, NPR, 15 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for postdoctoral

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of postdoctoral was in 1929

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Cite this Entry

“Postdoctoral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/postdoctoral. Accessed 6 Dec. 2025.

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