donnish

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 donnish Much of it is donnish intellectual history, full of interesting but digressive discussions. Jeffrey Collins, WSJ, 5 Oct. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for donnish
Adjective
  • The voice turned more professorial, clinical.
    Jon Michael Varese, The Atlantic, 28 Sep. 2025
  • Restrepo, who was wearing professorial glasses and a dark suit, went first.
    Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • This collaboration spurred me to reflect on college newspapers and my own pedagogical approach as a librarian to media literacy.
    Joshua Finnell, JSTOR Daily, 1 Oct. 2025
  • A feast for the eyes without being pedagogical, the show benefits from contextualizing Abloh’s work in what is now starting to feel like recent history.
    Amy Verner, Vogue, 30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • On platforms like TikTok, Instagram, X and Goodreads, bookish users often tout images of impressive titles and aesthetically pleasing reading setups or monthly reading lists with dozens of books already checked off.
    Angela Yang, NBC news, 14 Oct. 2025
  • To anyone as bookish as Lang, orchids may have summoned a whiff of Proust and Wilde.
    Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • As men's wear grew less formal, Woody Allen would stake a claim on baggy khaki and corduroy as the uniform of a tweedy, tightly wound New Yorker.
    Joshua Hunt, New York Times, 12 June 2024
  • Her clothes, increasingly, have a pragmatic femininity, like a number of tweedy bellbottom suits that opened the show, some with vests of blue and coral beads covering the front, or diamond patterns of turquoise and plum sequins on the sleeves.
    Rachel Tashjian, Harper's BAZAAR, 8 Dec. 2022
Adjective
  • Attached to the lawsuit is an ante litem notice sent by the plaintiff’s attorneys in August 2024 to officials at Walnut Grove High School, where the alleged victim attended and participated in scholastic cheerleading team under the coaching of Moore.
    Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 9 Oct. 2025
  • For true scholastic style, pair it with penny loafers or Mary Janes.
    Francesca Krempa, Travel + Leisure, 15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Adding to her disorientation is Kenny, the nerdy boy next door who’s now a single father and beloved member of the community.
    Karen Ostergren, The Atlantic, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Salt Lake City, Utah, was fourth thanks to its high searches for nerdy terms and high share of conventions and gaming stores per capita.
    Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Donnish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/donnish. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.

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