adjective
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providing knowledge; instructive or informative
an educational toy
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of or relating to education
Other Word Forms
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countereducationalnoun
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antieducationaladjective
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noneducationaladjective
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posteducationaladjective
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preeducationaladjective
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pseudoeducationaladjective
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quasi-educationaladjective
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antieducationallyadverb
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countereducationallyadverb
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educationallyadverb
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noneducationallyadverb
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preeducationallyadverb
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pseudoeducationallyadverb
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quasi-educationallyadverb
Etymology
Origin of educational
Explanation
If something is educational, it teaches you some new information or gives you new knowledge. Listening to an organic farmer describe the process of beekeeping can be very educational. The adjective educational describes something that imparts new skills or knowledge. Reading a recipe is educational, if it teaches you how to make a perfect buttercream frosting for your cake, and a French class is also educational, as long as you learn something new from it. The word comes from the noun education, or "the process of teaching or learning," which actually meant "childrearing" in the 1500s, and was used interchangeably to mean "the training of animals."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
These populations are more likely to suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity, and face socioeconomic barriers like lower educational attainment and less access to quality healthcare.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
For its measure of who counts as disadvantaged, the EPI looked at the educational outcomes of children who had ever been eligible for free school meals, compared with those who had not.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
The American Heart Association's Healthy Smiles, Healthy Hearts™ initiative supports dental professionals with educational resources about the connection between oral and cardiovascular health.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
“The question has always been about what we are doing as an educational system to prepare those students who might be less resourced.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
He keeps to the educational room, and the outside cages and paths.
From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
