pedagogical
adjective
-ˈgō-
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Pedagogical, Pedagogy, and Pedagogue
Pedagogical and its cognates present us with an excellent example of how different words can come from the same root, retain closely related meanings, and yet take on distinctive connotations. Pedagogical, pedagogy, and pedagogue all come from the Greek paidagōgos, originally the word for an enslaved person who brought children to school. But while pedagogical and pedagogy have meanings simply related to education, teaching, or teachers (with no implied judgment), pedagogue has taken on a negative tone, often referring to a dull or overly formal teacher. A similar transformation has taken place with many of the pedant- words in English. Pedant originally denoted simply "a tutor," but now tends to mean "one who makes a show of knowledge." Pedantic formerly meant "relating to teaching," but now is more commonly used to mean "unimaginative or dull."
Examples of pedagogical in a Sentence
Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
Invest in educator training that moves beyond basic tool familiarity to pedagogical integration and ethical considerations.
—Sarah Hernholm, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
To implement this, institutions could establish dedicated centers focused on faculty development and pedagogical innovation.
—Nicholas Ladany, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024
His pedagogical contributions were formally recognized in 2017 when the Missouri Bar extolled his substantial influence on professional legal education.
—Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for pedagogical
Cite this Entry
“Pedagogical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pedagogical. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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