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Synonyms

academia

American  
[ak-uh-dee-mee-uh, -deem-yuh, -dem-ee-uh, -dem-yuh] / ˌæk əˈdi mi ə, -ˈdim jə, -ˈdɛm i ə, -ˈdɛm jə /

noun

  1. the milieu or interests of a university, college, or academy; academe.


academia British  
/ ˌækəˈdiːmɪə /

noun

  1. the academic world

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of academia

First recorded in 1945–50; from New Latin, Latin; see academy

Explanation

The world of colleges and universities is academia. Academia is the academic world. If you like school, then you might enjoy academia, which is also known as academe. People in academia include students — college and university students, specifically. Then there are the professors, who teach the students. That's not all professors do; they also research various subjects. Producing research is one of the major goals of academia. If you like thinking and learning and studying, academia could be the place for you.

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Vocabulary lists containing academia

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.

See Examples For:

Neither spent much time practicing law; Mr. Obama soon moved on to academia, Mr. Vance to venture capital.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 26, 2026

In academia, there is no greater sin than passing off another’s work as one’s own.

From Salon Aug. 23, 2026

He left academia to co-found a firm that worked in mergers and acquisitions, and he started trading commodities in the late 1970s.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 21, 2026

The controversy around Arday appears to have divided the Cambridge campus and wider academia.

From Barron's Aug. 14, 2026

By and by Rosellini left academia, departed Seattle, and drifted north up the coast through British Columbia and the Alaska panhandle.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

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