faculty

noun

fac·​ul·​ty ˈfa-kəl-tē How to pronounce faculty (audio)
plural faculties
1
: ability, power: such as
a
: innate or acquired ability to act or do
man … how infinite in facultyWilliam Shakespeare
b
: an inherent capability, power, or function
the faculty of hearing
c
: any of the powers of the mind (such as will, reason, or instinct) formerly held by psychologists to form a basis for the explanation of all mental phenomena
d
: natural aptitude
has a faculty for saying the right things
2
a
: a branch of teaching or learning (such as law, medicine, or liberal arts) in an educational institution
b
archaic : something in which one is trained or qualified
3
a
: the members of a profession
b
: the teaching and administrative staff and those members of the administration having academic rank in an educational institution
an excellent mathematics faculty
c
faculty plural : faculty members
many faculty were present
4
: power, authority, or prerogative given or conferred
The state has the faculty to define treason.
Choose the Right Synonym for faculty

gift, faculty, aptitude, bent, talent, genius, knack mean a special ability for doing something.

gift often implies special favor by God or nature.

the gift of singing beautifully

faculty applies to an innate or less often acquired ability for a particular accomplishment or function.

a faculty for remembering names

aptitude implies a natural liking for some activity and the likelihood of success in it.

a mechanical aptitude

bent is nearly equal to aptitude but it stresses inclination perhaps more than specific ability.

a family with an artistic bent

talent suggests a marked natural ability that needs to be developed.

has enough talent to succeed

genius suggests impressive inborn creative ability.

has no great genius for poetry

knack implies a comparatively minor but special ability making for ease and dexterity in performance.

the knack of getting along

Examples of faculty in a Sentence

She's a member of the Harvard faculty. The school hired more faculty. a meeting with students and faculty She has a faculty for making friends. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Kincaid, like all of the faculty members at FIU who spoke to the Miami Herald, sees the hollowing out of general education as political interference undermining academic freedom. Clara-Sophia Daly, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2025 Allen Ginsberg, for instance, was a faculty member at Naropa University and co-founded the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics. Benjamin Adams, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025 The university has a faculty member named Michael Kessler, but he is listed as an associate professor of the practice of government and an adjunct professor of law. Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025 Barnard told faculty members with classes there after 5 p.m. Wednesday to either relocate or cancel. Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 27 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for faculty

Word History

Etymology

Middle English faculte "power, ability, field of knowledge, branch of learning at a university," borrowed from Anglo-French faculté, borrowed from Medieval Latin facultāt-, facultās (Latin, "power, ability, opportunity, quantity available"), from Latin *faklis, earlier form of facilis "easy, accommodating" + -tāt-, -tās -ty — more at facile

Note: Latin facultās presumably developed from an original *faklitāts (via *fakl̥tāts > *fakiltāts > facultās), and hence is a doublet of facilitās "quality of being easily performed" (see facility), a derivative formed after facilis had assumed its attested form (with *-klis > -cilis). The difference in meaning between the two derivatives suggests the original adjective *faklis may have meant something like "possessing the power, able" (whence "easily done," conforming to other adjectives in -ilis).

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of faculty was in the 14th century

Cite this Entry

“Faculty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/faculty. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

faculty

noun
fac·​ul·​ty ˈfak-əl-tē How to pronounce faculty (audio)
plural faculties
1
: ability to do something : talent
a faculty for making friends
2
: one of the powers of the mind or body
the faculty of hearing
3
: the teachers in a school or college

Medical Definition

faculty

noun
fac·​ul·​ty ˈfak-əl-tē How to pronounce faculty (audio)
plural faculties
1
a
: an inherent capability, power, or function
the faculty of hearing
digestive faculty
b
: one of the powers of the mind formerly held by psychologists to form a basis for the explanation of all mental phenomena
2
a
: the members of a profession
b
: the teaching and administrative staff and those members of the administration having academic rank in an educational institution

More from Merriam-Webster on faculty

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