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 theoretic
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Sarah Kreps, Foreign Affairs, 29 Apr. 2025
But numerous academic experts and medical professionals believe those moves, while well intended, have been scattershot and insufficient.
—Bernard J. Wolfson and Vanessa G. Sánchez, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
Every election year, that’s the reminder voters get from historians, politicos, journalists and academics of all stripes.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for academic
Adjective
The government extended grants to a kaleidoscopic variety of academic efforts that included conducting basic physics experiments, developing materials to enable hypersonic flight, and inventing artificial intelligence algorithms.
—Sarah Kreps, Foreign Affairs, 29 Apr. 2025
But numerous academic experts and medical professionals believe those moves, while well intended, have been scattershot and insufficient.
—Bernard J. Wolfson and Vanessa G. Sánchez, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Noun
Multiple academics have carried out studies examining the topic, while legislators have sought to act on findings in the past.
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
Every election year, that’s the reminder voters get from historians, politicos, journalists and academics of all stripes.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for academic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for academic
Adjective
-
Suppose the differences between these two cooks were repeated in many domains of intellectual labor.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2025
-
The Colombian painter and intellectual (1919-2003) was born in Bogotá and lived in Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Jerusalem, Washington, and Rome before settling in Paris, discovering nature within global cities.—
Natasha Gural,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
His ideas have particularly struck a chord with readers who deal in aesthetics—artists, curators, designers, and architects—even though Han has not quite been embraced by philosophy academe.—
Kyle Chayka,
The New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2024
-
That points to a missed opportunity, because even a little self-reflection would reveal much in 21st-century academe that will one day look as repellent as the earlier bias against Jews.—
The Editorial Board,
WSJ,
13 Oct. 2022
Noun
-
Weiss said some scholars believe the prophecy was written in support of a cardinal who was campaigning to be the next pope.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
4 May 2025
-
Although the origins of the doctrine remain in some dispute, most scholars cite its first mention in ancient Roman law.—
Alexandra Klass,
The Conversation,
2 May 2025
Adjective
-
The task has traditionally fallen to curators, who maintain their scholarly independence and grapple with the complexities of mounting shows.—
Zachary Small,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2025
-
But factory-style scholarly productivity was never the essence of the humanities.—
D. Graham Burnett,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
But to sacrifice Negan to The Dama in theoretical perpetuity?—
Charlie Mason,
TVLine,
5 May 2025
-
And none of us could have imagined that our theoretical models would fit the data so well.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
3 May 2025
Noun
-
There’s little scaffolding or bridging, virtually no space given to centralized agencies, which most development academicians would agree still have their place.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Other founding principals include fellow academicians Andrei Shleifer and Robert Vishny.—
Charles Rotblut,
Forbes,
18 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Subsequent chapters explore great bookmen of the Renaissance, from the Florentine tradesman Vespasiano da Bisticci and the Flemish illuminator Simon Bening to the English antiquarian Sir Robert Cotton — manuscript obsessives all.—
Bruce Holsinger,
New York Times,
11 Nov. 2023
-
In the 1970s and ’80s, a flamboyant Texas bookman and one-time president of the ABAA named John Jenkins made money selling stolen and forged items to libraries and collectors.—
Travis McDade,
Smithsonian Magazine,
18 Aug. 2020
Adjective
-
The proud dad even shared John’s grades, showing screenshots of his 100% test scores in business law while shouting out Hill for their son’s scholastic success.—
Avalon Hester,
People.com,
29 Mar. 2025
-
Golden Triangle administers the scholarships in cooperation with Mount Dora Community Trust. Award considerations include scholastic ability, responsibility toward education, financial need and includes a special emphasis on community service.—
Orlando Sentinel Staff,
Orlando Sentinel,
13 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Academic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/academic. Accessed 10 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share