pedagogical
adjective
-ˈgō-
Did you know?
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
Jonah Davids, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026
Washington and Lee has accordingly established a modern reputation for intellectual pluralism and pedagogical excellence.
—Blake D. Morant, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
What did surprise me were the creative ways the Dictaphone was used as a pedagogical tool.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Jan. 2026
Nadjari oversaw the development of the studio’s proprietary workflows, while Ricca, who has built education curricula and large-scale experiential projects, shaped the platform’s emotional and pedagogical framework.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pedagogical
Cite this Entry
“Pedagogical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pedagogical. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
Copy Citation
