syllabus

noun

syl·​la·​bus ˈsi-lə-bəs 

plural syllabi ˈsi-lə-ˌbī 

-ˌbē

or syllabuses

1

: a summary outline of a discourse, treatise, or course of study or of examination requirements

2

: headnote sense 2

Examples of syllabus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Apu Trilogy sits on every canonical-movie syllabus and has had obvious influence on filmmakers around the world, but this is not some homework assignment to get through; each of these films is sweet, relatable, and engrossing. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 25 June 2025

Students are not waiting for a syllabus update to experiment with AI. —Dr. Aviva Legatt, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025

This turns any text into a kind of springboard or syllabus. —Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 17 June 2025

All of this can account for the growing syllabus of novels, non-fiction, and plays to be found in Anderson’s own canon. —Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 2 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin, alteration of Latin sillybus label for a book, from Greek sillybos

First Known Use

circa 1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

syllabus

noun

syl·​la·​bus ˈsil-ə-bəs 

plural syllabi -ˌbī 

-ˌbē

or syllabuses

: a brief outline (as of a course of study)