undergraduate

noun

un·​der·​grad·​u·​ate ˌən-dər-ˈgra-jə-wət How to pronounce undergraduate (audio)
-ˌwāt;
-ˈgraj-wət
Synonyms of undergraduatenext
: a student at a college or university who has not received a first and especially a bachelor's degree
undergraduate adjective

Examples of undergraduate in a Sentence

a group of college undergraduates
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
This is more of a normal conservative idea; that the availability of student loans has encouraged universities to offer more low-quality programs at the undergraduate and graduate level which don’t help students. Brendan Cantwell, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2026 And within a few weeks, a second-year undergraduate at the University of Oxford named Tanupat (Paul) Trakulthongchai built on Rosenfeld’s ideas to prove it for nine and 10 runners. Quanta Magazine, 6 Mar. 2026 Levy earned her undergraduate degree from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, a historically Black university in Greensboro. Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 4 Mar. 2026 The proposal requires preeminent state universities to reserve 95% of new fall undergraduate enrollments to students from Florida, an increase to the current 90% requirement for all universities. Jim Turner, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for undergraduate

Word History

First Known Use

1630, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of undergraduate was in 1630

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Cite this Entry

“Undergraduate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undergraduate. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.

Kids Definition

undergraduate

noun
un·​der·​grad·​u·​ate ˌən-dər-ˈgraj-(ə-)wət How to pronounce undergraduate (audio)
-ə-ˌwāt
: a student at a college or university who has not yet received a degree

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