PROFESSORIAL Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

professorial

adjective

Definition of professorial

as in pedagogical

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar 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 professorial Learning to Engage McMillon has an almost professorial air that’s articulate, polite and exudes competence — but his skill set was honed by long years of experience. — Evan Clark, Footwear News, 3 Feb. 2026 Gabriel has secrets hiding beneath his professorial veneer. — Judy Berman, Time, 30 Jan. 2026 Hughes is a partner with the law firm Epstein Becker Green and a professorial lecturer in law at the George Washington University Law School. — Richard Hughes Iv, STAT, 12 Jan. 2026 Navarro, long rejected and unelected, made no attempt to set professorial boundaries in his new advisory role. — Ian Parker, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for professorial

Recent Examples of Synonyms for professorial

Adjective

But many of these teachers come from graduate programs that prioritize theory over practice, and knowing various pedagogical approaches does not necessarily translate into teaching well.

— Mike Goldstein, The Atlantic, 25 June 2026
In Britain between the 1940s and the 1980s, university professors, especially those from Oxford and Cambridge, were esteemed not merely for their specialist knowledge or pedagogical value but for their wider contribution to civic life.

— Tim Bouverie, Air Mail, 30 May 2026

Definition of pedagogical

Adjective

The Album, Bryce Savage’s not-so-bookish gurglefest about femme fatales.

— Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 25 June 2026
Daeron Targaryen Daeron Targaryen, otherwise known as Daeron the Drunkard, is a bookish and melancholy Targaryen prince known for his prophetic dreams.

— Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 22 June 2026

Definition of bookish

Adjective

The records sold out in a matter of days, and nerdy online chatter escalated with each repress.

— Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 6 July 2026
Played by Ella Bruccoleri, the show’s Mary is recontextualized as a sweet, nerdy girl out of step with her time and beaten down by her mother’s assertions that her looks and personality will exclude her from a successful match.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 30 June 2026

Definition of nerdy

Adjective

The Union’s move is a small reversal of a decades-long trend away from scholastic sports as a soccer development tool.

— Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 19 June 2026
Her work — rooted in teaching, scholastic research and mentoring — is continually focused on advancing social, racial and economic equity in secondary education classrooms.

— Larry D. Urish, Oc Register, 3 June 2026

Definition of scholastic

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

Students can proactively bridge this gap by prioritizing practical skills employers demand, beyond just academic grades.

— Sarah Hernholm, Forbes.com, 12 July 2026
Democratic socialists and academic experts say the ideology isn't communism, but rather a belief that the economy should be run for the public’s benefit through democratic decision-making.

— Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 11 July 2026

Definition of academic

Browse Nearby Words

professor

professorial

professors

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Professorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/professorial. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of professorial

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

bibelot

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes