academic 1 of 2

variants also academical
Definition of academicnext
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

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2
as in intellectual
very learned or educated but inexperienced in practical matters academic thinkers who have no understanding of realpolitik

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3

academic

2 of 2

noun

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of academic
Adjective
Some institutions, like the University of Arizona, are intentionally lowering class sizes to improve academic performance and graduation rates, while reducing scholarship expenses and national recruitment burdens. Tristan Bove, Fortune, 20 June 2026 However, Heather Harper, a spokeswoman for UC Health — which oversees six academic health centers including UCSD — countered those claims to the La Jolla Light this week. Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 2026
Noun
His obsessive quest would take him from gastroenterology clinics to international scientific conferences, define his career as an academic, and capture the attention of global pharmaceutical companies. Sara Talpos — Undark, STAT, 1 June 2026 The team combines expertise from engineering science, philosophy and experimental psychology, supported by the University of Oxford senior academics combining academic rigor with Polestar’s automotive expertise. New Atlas, 29 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for academic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for academic
Adjective
  • The 23rd annual Sacramento Juneteenth celebration filled William Land Park on Saturday with a parade of 15 contingents and a festival with educational exhibits on Black American history.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 22 June 2026
  • The fire began on Monday, June 22, in a commercial building that included an educational center, pet shop and veterinary clinic in the city of Lucknow, The Associated Press, The New York Times and Reuters reported.
    Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 22 June 2026
Adjective
  • Today’s economy rewards intellectual horsepower.
    Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
  • Chattel slavery stole people’s families, intellectual creations, land, access to resources, and, for some, spiritual foundations.
    Marcus Anthony Hunter, Time, 19 June 2026
Adjective
  • Before that, the idea of one day becoming king was something distant and theoretical, a concept discussed in books and family history rather than something with immediate relevance to his own life.
    Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 20 June 2026
  • This stopped being theoretical just this month.
    Renana Ashkenazi, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Noun
  • Different goals lead to different strategies The differences between industry and academe begin with a divergence in purpose.
    Maysam Ghovanloo, IEEE Spectrum, 28 May 2026
  • Woke doesn't just characterize academe, academe is from where almost every trope of woke originally came.
    Bradley Gitz, Arkansas Online, 26 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • It was rediscovered in the late 1990s, but was forgotten again until scholars and advocates pushed for its preservation years later, according to the association.
    Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 June 2026
  • But the outcome, according to scholars, is a clearer, tighter, and more defensible argument.
    Carmine Gallo, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
Adjective
  • According to Mercy Fash and Emani Campbell’s emerging scholarly research at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, this intersection is worthy of greater attention because of an exacerbated threat that could severely harm Black women.
    Richard Fowler, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
  • The women had been close friends while studying for their doctorates some years earlier, but Catherine has since grown resentful of Leonora’s career, and dismissive of women whose scholarly ambitions come before marital subservience.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
Adjective
  • Your 5th House of Creativity takes center stage as the instinctive Moon squares cerebral Mercury in your 2nd House of Money and Values.
    Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 23 June 2026
  • By age 18, Davis’s parents had both died within 11 months of each other — his mother, Florence, of a cerebral hemorrhage, his father, Herman, of a heart attack.
    Dan Hyman, Rolling Stone, 22 June 2026
Adjective
  • The aerospace company has figured out how to position itself firmly in the middle of the speculative hype of the AI cycle, and numerous financial organizations have amended rules designed to protect retail investors.
    Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 20 June 2026
  • CoreWeave, for instance, despite projecting significant revenue, carries a speculative-grade credit rating and substantial debt.
    Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Academic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/academic. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.

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