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 theoretical
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
Related 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
Connor Greene, Time, 16 May 2026
Maduko is a medical doctor who has held a series of academic positions in other states.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2026
Erin La Rosa, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
And in March of this year, the White House revealed that the President’s Council on Science and Technology, long staffed with academic experts, is now led by tech industry figures such as Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and Oracle’s Larry Ellison—just one academic is on the council.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for academic
Adjective
Kane argues that state and local leaders must implement reforms to address the decline in academic achievement, like those whose literacy programs helped spark recent upticks in reading scores.
—Connor Greene, Time, 16 May 2026
Maduko is a medical doctor who has held a series of academic positions in other states.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2026
Noun
Or, rather, Lora — an academic who needs to get her Italian citizenship — is taking us there.
—Erin La Rosa, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
And in March of this year, the White House revealed that the President’s Council on Science and Technology, long staffed with academic experts, is now led by tech industry figures such as Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and Oracle’s Larry Ellison—just one academic is on the council.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for academic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for academic
Adjective
-
According to data from FertilityIQ, an educational platform for individuals and couples navigating infertility and family building, the average cost of IVF treatment and medication is more than $20,000.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
19 May 2026
-
In the education building on the side of the past, visitors enter a classroom decorated with historical photos of educational hubs of Rondo.—
Imani Cruzen,
Twin Cities,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
Uranus in Gemini wants people to think for themselves, question everything and evolve on an intellectual level.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
-
Granted, the cast is skilled enough to work these intimate specifics into (and beneath) their conversations, but the details are often dropped into these empty spaces after long delays, a kind of Tetris storytelling that works far more as an intellectual exercise than an emotional one.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
Early explorations of the theme included self-portraits EXPORT made in male drag, as well as forays in poetry and theoretical feminist texts.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
15 May 2026
-
But the new one is no longer theoretical.—
Ingmar Rentzhog,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Woke doesn't just characterize academe, academe is from where almost every trope of woke originally came.—
Bradley Gitz,
Arkansas Online,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Chinese research took a long while to recover from Mao’s purge of academe.—
Shivaram Rajgopal,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025
Noun
-
Thomas’s account of Progressivism as a malign force threatening individual liberty echoes an argument developed by scholars at the conservative Claremont Institute.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
21 May 2026
-
The book begins as a British scholar named Jeremy Pordage is being chauffeured north along the California coast from Los Angeles to stay with Stoyte.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
Adjective
-
The individual who once grappled with learning disabilities emerged into a scholarly critical thinker.—
Jason Jones,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
-
For most of his life, Mojtaba was not regarded as a religious scholar of significant theological authority or scholarly distinction.—
Hamidreza Azizi,
Time,
9 May 2026
Adjective
-
Out of these theories, the last seemed the most speculative, personal, and, therefore, pertinent.—
Weike Wang,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
-
Although in-hand images aren’t yet available, a speculative mock-up was provided which is said to accurately depict the upcoming release.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
Church did not, however, neglect the National Academy, and in 1849—in the midst of bloody riots pitting nativists against immigrants and New York’s working class against the wealthy—he was promoted to full academician status.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
The project was led by Xu Jianzhong, PhD, a CAS academician and engineering thermophysics expert.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Academic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/academic. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
