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
  • That early work lent credibility to his dire warnings that the COVID shots hadn’t been adequately tested, as perhaps did his grandfatherly beard and professorial demeanor.
    Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 13 June 2025
  • Noticeably out of place with his full head of gray hair, rectangular glasses and professorial demeanor, Kennedy wandered among the crowd of cops and deputies, eyes peeled for suspicious ink.
    Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2025
Adjective
  • The etude genre has evolved since its origins in the 17th century, from pedagogical exercises into works that stretch out emotionally as well as technically.
    Luke Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 July 2025
  • As with all pedagogical practices, the way educators think about, assign, and assess reading in the classroom changes over time.
    Nicole Donawho, JSTOR Daily, 22 July 2025
Adjective
  • Sure, director Michael Bay puts former British spy John Patrick Mason (Sean Connery) and bookish FBI agent Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage) through all manner of car chases, explosions, gun battles, and a relationship with a former prom queen.
    Sarah Sprague, EW.com, 2 July 2025
  • Solar Power’s acoustic shampoo-commercial pop signified a degree of freedom from the usual rueful, bookish synth-pop grind.
    Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 24 Apr. 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
  • The awards are based on criteria including scholastic ability, responsibility toward education and financial need, with a special emphasis on community service.
    Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 May 2025
  • Distinguished Cadet Honors were awarded to cadets with scholastic standing and all-around aptitude in NJROTC activities.
    Cadet Nadeen Willat, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Donnish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/donnish. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.

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