postdoctoral

adjective

post·​doc·​tor·​al ˌpōs(t)-ˈdäk-t(ə-)rəl 

ˈpōst-ˌdäk-

variants or less commonly postdoctorate

ˌpōs(t)-ˈdäk-t(ə-)rət 

ˈpōst-ˌdäk-

: 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

Earric Lee, a postdoctoral researcher at the Montreal Heart Institute who's spearheading the initiative, says scientists first need to agree on standards. — Will Stone, NPR, 11 Oct. 2026

Nagel went to the United States for postdoctoral studies at Yale University and then Rockefeller University. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Oct. 2026

With him were the veterinarian Beverly Chua, a postdoctoral student named Catherine Ivy, and a graduate student, Kevin Young. — Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

The ruling halts plans by the Department of Homeland Security to place a four-year cap on the kinds of visas used by graduate students and postdoctoral researchers while a judge hears full arguments in a lawsuit over the new policy. — Jonathan Wosen, STAT, 14 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for postdoctoral

• epidural
• predoctoral
• deferral
• referral
• neral
• squirrel