Academy Award

Trademark.

1. an annual award given to a performer, director, technician, etc., of the motion-picture industry for superior achievement in a specific category: judged by the voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and symbolized by the presentation of an Oscar.

Academy Award

noun

1. the official name for an Oscar

Word History and Origins

Origin of Academy Award¹

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45

Example Sentences

Spawning not one but two soundtrack releases, the film had the air of a cultural phenomenon about it and anointed Anderson as a generational talent, earning him his first Academy Award nomination for the screenplay.

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The band’s fame skyrocketed in 1999 after German filmmaker Wim Wenders made a documentary about the musicians titled “Buena Vista Social Club” that received numerous awards and was nominated for an Academy Award.

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It also landed Gyllenaal her second Academy Award nomination for adapted screenplay.

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With her later effort “Nomadland,” Zhao would go on to become the second woman — and still the only woman of color — to win the Academy Award for directing.

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In his later career, Redford successfully pivoted to directing, winning the Academy Award for Best Director in 1980 for “Ordinary People.”

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