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• syllabus
  syllabus

  noun

  an outline or other brief statement of the main points of a discourse, the subjects of a course of lectures, the contents of a curriculum, etc.
• Syllabus
  Syllabus

  noun

  a list of 80 doctrinal theses condemned as erroneous by Pius IX in 1864

syllabus

American  

[sil-uh-buhs] / ˈsɪl ə bəs /

noun

• syllabuses,
  plural
• syllabi
  plural

1. an outline or other brief statement of the main points of a discourse, the subjects of a course of lectures, the contents of a curriculum, etc.

2. Law.

   1. a short summary of the legal basis of a court's decision appearing at the beginning of a reported case.

   2. a book containing summaries of the leading cases in a legal field, used especially by students.

3. Also called Syllabus of Errors.  (often initial capital letter) the list of 80 propositions condemned as erroneous by Pope Pius IX in 1864.

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syllabus ¹ British  

/ ˈsɪləbəs /

noun

1. an outline of a course of studies, text, etc

2. 1. the subjects studied for a particular course

   2. a document which lists these subjects and states how the course will be assessed

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Syllabus ² British  

/ ˈsɪləbəs /

noun

1. Also called: Syllabus of Errors.  a list of 80 doctrinal theses condemned as erroneous by Pius IX in 1864

2. a list of 65 Modernist propositions condemned as erroneous by Pius X in 1907

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Usage

Plural word for syllabus The plural form of syllabus can be either syllabuses or syllabi, pronounced [ sil-uh-bahy ], but syllabi is more widely used. The plurals of several other singular words ending in -us are also formed in this way, such as virus/viruses, sinus/sinuses, and walrus/walruses. Irregular plurals that are formed like syllabi, such as cactus/cacti and fungus/fungi, derive directly from their original pluralization in Latin. However, the standard English plural -es ending is often also acceptable for these terms, as in cactuses.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• syllabi
  plural
• syllabuses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of syllabus

1650–60; < New Latin syllabus, syllabos, probably a misreading (in manuscripts of Cicero) of Greek síttybās, accusative plural of síttyba label for a papyrus roll

Explanation

A syllabus is a document that outlines everything that will be covered in a class. A syllabus for World Domination 101 might include: strategies for brainwashing the masses, creating an army on a budget, cultivating absolute certainty, and so on. The noun syllabus comes from the Late Latin word syllabus, meaning “list.” When you teach a class you may be required to make an outline of what you will expect the students to do in your class. That’s the syllabus. A syllabus could vaguely mention the topics that will be covered each week or it can be a detailed synopsis of every reading assignment, homework expectation, and exam question. Syllabus style is the teacher’s choice.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

syllabus Syllabus syllabi syllabuses

At universities, the ban has restricted access to online research and course materials, with one Herat student saying he had used his phone to help with about half the syllabus.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

But her thorough coursework and off-the-beaten-path syllabus of films opened my eyes to countless new ideas and perspectives.

From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026

But the syllabus today is at a tipping point.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

I assumed teams would stay intact because the syllabus said “team.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 25, 2026

She pushes the button to collate the syllabus but forgets to push the button for staples.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Melanie Martin, a postdoc at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, used the Syllabus Explorer to identify the most commonly taught texts in her field, evolutionary anthropology.

From Nature ● Oct. 30, 2016

And the diaries they kept, a few of which appear in Syllabus, remained idiosyncratic: “Felt weird again at Trader Joe’s. Attended what I did not realise was a cotillion.”

From The Guardian ● May 14, 2015

Syllabus for the class can be found here.

From Forbes ● Dec. 12, 2014

A version of this review appears in print on April 8, 2014, on page C4 of the with the headline: Bach Is on the Spring Syllabus.

From New York Times ● Apr. 7, 2014

Syllabus A included a course taught by Kathy, “A History of the Indian Struggle.”

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

So after faculty were urged to add land acknowledgments to their syllabi, Mr. Reges had a subversive idea.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 29, 2025

Students hesitate before volunteering their opinions in class, while faculty appear more cautious, even including disclaimers in their syllabi.

From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2025

While most of his peers were still swapping syllabi and feeling out new professors, Mahdawi had started his day not in a classroom, but in immigration court—virtually, on Webex.

From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2025

Administrative representatives at the university’s main campus in Anza and a branch campus in Mill Valley, Calif., did not have documents readily available related to student and faculty rosters and class syllabi, officers said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2024

I still have the syllabi from all my classes, and David’s been bringing me assignments.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

The story won the Paris Review’s 2013 Plimpton Prize for Fiction and has appeared on syllabuses at other universities.

From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026

Discussion of new class schedules and syllabuses, and the excitement of students learning their friends were in the same course, filled the plaza between the Student Union Building and campus library Wednesday morning.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 11, 2023

The book that first lifted Caro to fame and made him a staple of journalism-school syllabuses is “The Power Broker,” his novelistic 1974 portrait of cutthroat New York city planner Robert Moses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 28, 2022

And the book is now being added to syllabuses: One high-school teacher, says Garmus, is making her students read “Lessons in Chemistry” for a class on the American dream.

From New York Times ● Nov. 16, 2022

The two syllabuses are interesting reminders as to what were the usual subjects of education for European boys and girls a century and a half ago.

From The Story of Madras by Glyn Barlow

Related Words

• curriculum
• synopsis