DONNISH Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

donnish

adjective

Definition of donnish

as in professorial

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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

And those really are professorial decisions and creative decisions that made me, that pushed me.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 26 Sep. 2026
To wrest control from Republicans, Brown asked the professorial Sher to challenge one Republican’s right to remain in the Assembly.

— Dan Morain, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of professorial

Adjective

On August 27 Philip Engel of the University of Illinois Chicago posted a more pedagogical explanation of the LLM’s process on his website.

— Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 24 Sep. 2026
Intentionally blending the personal, social-emotional, pedagogical and technical components of teaching cultivated a space where teachers felt heard and respected rather than talked at.

— Paul Koh, Baltimore Sun, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of pedagogical

Adjective

In the midst of the festivities, among a crowd of bookish faculty and graduate students, Annie and Wendy convinced an overheated newspaper photographer who’d been sent to cover the event to abandon his turtleneck.

— Robert P. Baird, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2026
And of course, in a general sense, many inquisitive artists are as bookish as anyone.

— Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of bookish

Adjective

If tweedy free-speech absolutists and their aggrieved students are capable of finding common ground, this will be the issue that unites them.

— Judy Berman, Time, 5 Mar. 2026
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

Definition of tweedy

Adjective

She is welcomed by other interns including the warm and fun Tabitha (Shrinking’s Lupita Maxwell) and nerdy Leonard (a funny Daniel Zolghadri), along with the more colorful Daphne (Iris Apatow).

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2026
Also, don’t sleep on this relatively strong Mercury for smoothing your travels and adding a dose of nerdy stimulation to your adventures.

— Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of nerdy

Browse Nearby Words

donning

donnish

donnybrook

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“Donnish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/donnish. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of donnish

adjective

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