coeducational
Americanadjective
-
educating the sexes jointly at the same institution or in the same classes.
a coeducational state college.
-
of or relating to coeducation.
coeducational programs.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of coeducational
An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; co- + educational
Explanation
Use the adjective coeducational to describe something that includes or allows both boys and girls. A coeducational summer camp, for example, has both male and female campers. Schools that aren't coeducational are known as "single-sex." Many women's colleges have begun admitting men over the years, gradually becoming coeducational. The most common way to use the word is to abbreviate it as "coed" or "co-ed." The adjective coeducational has been around since the 1880's, which is around the same time that many United States colleges and universities, previously open only to men, started accepting female students.
Vocabulary lists containing coeducational
Lyndon B. Johnson on "The Great Society" (1964)
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Lyndon B. Johnson on "The Great Society" (1964), List 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
The coeducational California Military Institute in Perris is also a public middle and high school with military principles.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
Founded in 1950 to serve women, Marymount declared itself to be coeducational — enrolling men in degree programs — in 1987.
From Washington Post • Feb. 23, 2023
In 2013, Stuyvesant, which has long been fully coeducational, awarded the former Alice de Rivera — a physician in Maine now known as Alice Haines — an honorary diploma.
From New York Times • Nov. 28, 2022
Generations of wealthy and powerful people have graduated from Mater Dei, which opened in 1950 as the first coeducational parochial school in Orange County.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2021
That dormitory had once been coeducational, there were still urinals in one of the washrooms on our floor.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
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.
