colleague

noun

col·​league ˈkä-(ˌ)lēg 

: an associate or coworker typically in a profession or in a civil or ecclesiastical office and often of similar rank or status : a fellow worker or professional

colleagueship

ˈkä-(ˌ)lēg-ˌship 

noun

Did you know?

Which of the following words come from the same source as colleague: college, legacy, collaborate, allegation, collar, relegate, delegate? It might be easier to guess if you know that the ancestor in question is legare, a Latin verb meaning "to choose or send as a deputy or emissary" or "to bequeath." All of the words in the list above except collaborate (which comes from the Latin collaborare, meaning "to labor together") and collar (from collum, collus, Latin for "neck") are descendants of legare.

Synonyms

• associate
• confrere
• confrère
• coworker

Examples of colleague in a Sentence

Not since Cronkite's CBS mentor and colleague Edward R. Murrow lifted Senator Joe McCarthy by the skunk tail for public inspection had one TV broadcast reflected such a fateful climate change in public opinion. —James Wolcott, Vanity Fair, June 2003

My colleague Gene Sperling and I were standing over my speakerphone, but for all Mario Cuomo knew we were on our knees. —George Stephanopoulos, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 1999

Nineteenth-century naturalist Thomas Henry Huxley, a colleague of Charles Darwin, was the first to suggest that dinosaurs and birds were related. —Laura Tangley, U.S. News & World Report, 6 July 1998

… it gets noticed no more than an hour later by another colleague of mine, whom I've never met personally but know to be an art historian … —John Barth, Atlantic, March 1995

A colleague of mine will be speaking at the conference.

on her first day at work her colleagues went out of their way to make her feel welcome

Recent Examples on the Web

But the billionaire tech mogul's rendition doesn't spark a positive reaction from Molly — or her colleagues, all of whom stare on in confusion as Josh's painstaking effort continues. —Dory Jackson, Peoplemag, 23 Apr. 2024

After photographing the street battle, the pair meet up with Lee’s colleague Joel Martinez (Wagner Moura) at a hotel that the press corps is using as a home base. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2024

The physicians who spoke about their experiences, though, were in the stark minority, and several expressed frustration at the difficulties colleagues at other institutions face in talking about their work. —Olivia Goldhill, STAT, 22 Apr. 2024

In this study, Jain and his colleagues analyzed what the heat dome would have looked like without this trend. —Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024

Since 10/7, students have been intimidated and physically harassed by their colleagues at Harvard. —The Editors, National Review, 22 Apr. 2024

Other cities prevent departments from determining whether shootings by their own colleagues violated policy. —Detroit Free Press, 21 Apr. 2024

Some Republican colleagues also came to love and respect him. —Frank E. Lockwood, arkansasonline.com, 20 Apr. 2024

Interviewees include Rather’s daughter, Robin, as well as colleagues such as former CBS News president Susan Zirinsky and other notable figures from the world of broadcast news. —Michael Schneider, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French collegue, from Latin collega, from com- + legare to depute — more at legate

First Known Use

circa 1533, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

colleague

noun

col·​league ˈkäl-ˌēg 

: an associate in a profession or office