adjective
-
Also: collegial. of or relating to a college or college students
-
(of a university) composed of various colleges of equal standing
noun
Other Word Forms
- collegiately adverb
- collegiateness noun
- postcollegiate adjective
- precollegiate adjective
- procollegiate adjective
- pseudocollegiate adjective
- quasi-collegiate adjective
- subcollegiate adjective
- uncollegiate adjective
Etymology
Origin of collegiate
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Late Latin word collēgiātus. See college, -ate 1
Explanation
Collegiate describes anything to do with college life or college students. You might refer to the leagues in which college athletes compete as collegiate sports, or to students studying chemistry as collegiate scientists. While college is a noun, collegiate is an adjective used to describe anything associated with college. The word collegiate was once associated with the idea of ivy-covered walls and impeccably-dressed students earnestly discussing philosophy and art. Nowadays, it can just as easily refer to political demonstrations and raucous behavior, as all have become part of the collegiate world.
Vocabulary lists containing collegiate
The Parker Inheritance
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Boy21
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The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl
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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.
Top-seeded Oklahoma is the defending champion, claiming its seventh U.S. national collegiate title last April.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
Sparks guard Julie Vanloo could step into the role, but the team also has a second round pick in a deep collegiate draft on Monday to help round out the roster.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
Meanwhile, student athletes are routinely playing for two, three or four different schools during their collegiate years.
From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026
Suddenly, talented collegiate players with long shot NBA dreams had powerful financial incentives to stay in school.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
“I’ve met Coach K a half-dozen times,” Russ says, as if Coach K were just any old person and not the head of perhaps the best collegiate basketball program in the country.
From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick
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.
