professorial
adjective
ˌprō-fə-ˈsȯr-ē-əl 
ˌprä-
: of, relating to, characteristic of, or resembling a professor
professorial duties
professorial authority
a calm, professorial manner
Johnson was professorial in his approach to the game. He could talk for hours on the nuances of the Czechoslovak national team's power play.—
E. M. Swift
E. M. Swift
professorially
ˌprō-fə-ˈsȯr-ē-ə-lē
adverb
ˌprä-
… a tall man with professorially thick glasses and graying, tangled hair …
—John Seabrook
John Seabrook
Examples of professorial in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The picturesque front porches that define the town are abuzz with energetic cottagers who punctuate their days with cooking lessons, nature walks, yoga, professorial lectures, music and plays.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2025
Moreover, the professorial subjectivity problem of assessing student competence is historically an ongoing challenge.
—Nick Ladany, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
An eight-time Grammy winner, Palmieri took both an iconoclastic and professorial approach to his music, striving for perfection through various means and genres.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2025
That early work lent credibility to his dire warnings that the COVID shots hadn’t been adequately tested, as perhaps did his grandfatherly beard and professorial demeanor.
—Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for professorial
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.
Dave Smith, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2025
Moreover, the professorial subjectivity problem of assessing student competence is historically an ongoing challenge.
—Nick Ladany, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
An eight-time Grammy winner, Palmieri took both an iconoclastic and professorial approach to his music, striving for perfection through various means and genres.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2025
That early work lent credibility to his dire warnings that the COVID shots hadn’t been adequately tested, as perhaps did his grandfatherly beard and professorial demeanor.
—Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for professorial
Cite this Entry
“Professorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/professorial. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share