variants
also academical
1
as in educational
of or relating to schooling or learning especially at an advanced level
"If you spent more time in academic pursuits and less time in social ones, you could easily make good grades," the dean told Valerie
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in intellectual
very learned or educated but inexperienced in practical matters
academic thinkers who have no understanding of realpolitik
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in theoretical
existing only as an assumption or speculation
your arguments are merely academic—such a worst-case scenario is unlikely to ever occur
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in academe
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of academic
Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2026
Instead, an excellent academic publisher, Edinburgh University Press, has made a fine job of it, including a cover design, at the editors’ request, in tribute to the old Hogarth Press style.
—Hermione Lee, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 25 Mar. 2026
For a long time, jazz, for me, at least, was sounding real academic.
—Lina Lecaro, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for academic
Adjective
For families with Scandinavian heritage, the possibility of finally accounting for the 19 missing crew members — of giving them back their identities after more than two centuries — carries an emotional resonance that transcends academic archaeology.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2026
Instead, an excellent academic publisher, Edinburgh University Press, has made a fine job of it, including a cover design, at the editors’ request, in tribute to the old Hogarth Press style.
—Hermione Lee, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
Noun
Gamage urged another academic — Jeff Hoopes, a professor at the University of North Carolina who specializes in how people respond to tax law — to review both studies.
—Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 25 Mar. 2026
For a long time, jazz, for me, at least, was sounding real academic.
—Lina Lecaro, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for academic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for academic
Adjective
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Clubs will be able to draw training and support from White Ribbon, while the UK government will collaborate with the league and its foundation on educational resources.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
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The information provided is for educational purposes and should not be construed as financial, investment or trading advice.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Crabapple is an artist and author known for lucid leftie takes, and her book takes on the thorny history of a vibrant intellectual tradition.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
10 Apr. 2026
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The man’s still handsome, laid back, intellectual and gives a sly smile here and there.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
John Preskill, a senior theoretical physicist at the university with a long history in the field of quantum error correction, advised the group.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
3 Apr. 2026
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That alone suggests Google expects quantum computing to be close enough to move from a theoretical problem to a practical one, which means other companies will almost certainly take note and follow suit.—
Alan Henry,
PC Magazine,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Woke doesn't just characterize academe, academe is from where almost every trope of woke originally came.—
Bradley Gitz,
Arkansas Online,
26 Jan. 2026
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Chinese research took a long while to recover from Mao’s purge of academe.—
Shivaram Rajgopal,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025
Noun
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Those scarring years as a scholar and apprentice at Norwich are part of the motivation behind Mitchell’s new venture, Edge Futures.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Ann McColl, a constitutional scholar and former general counsel for the North Carolina Association of Educators, suggested the issues Leandro addressed may be in North Carolina courts again.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Turner could not have known that his manifesto would define scholarly and popular understandings of American and western history for the next one hundred years.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
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To be clear, there is little credible scholarly evidence that EdTech, in general, improves learning outcomes, and no conclusive evidence that generative AI improves learning outcomes over traditional human teaching.—
Dr. Timothy Scott,
Hartford Courant,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The film’s speculative elements — monoliths accelerating human evolution — were philosophical rather than scientific.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
3 Apr. 2026
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Another attraction to American investors is the English game’s financial chaos, itself exacerbated by the speculative frenzy and dire stakes inherent in promotion/relegation.—
Andrés Martinez,
Fortune,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The project was led by Xu Jianzhong, PhD, a CAS academician and engineering thermophysics expert.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
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Authors call for a worldwide network of government leaders, UN agencies, scientists, academicians and the public, all designed to combat the spread of ultraprocessed foods, prioritizing children.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
18 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Academic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/academic. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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