adjective
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providing knowledge; instructive or informative
an educational toy
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of or relating to education
Other Word Forms
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antieducationaladjective
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antieducationallyadverb
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countereducationalnoun
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countereducationallyadverb
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educationallyadverb
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noneducationaladjective
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noneducationallyadverb
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posteducationaladjective
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preeducationaladjective
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preeducationallyadverb
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pseudoeducationaladjective
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pseudoeducationallyadverb
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quasi-educationaladjective
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quasi-educationallyadverb
Etymology
Origin of educational
Explanation
If something is educational, it teaches you some new information or gives you new knowledge. Listening to an organic farmer describe the process of beekeeping can be very educational. The adjective educational describes something that imparts new skills or knowledge. Reading a recipe is educational, if it teaches you how to make a perfect buttercream frosting for your cake, and a French class is also educational, as long as you learn something new from it. The word comes from the noun education, or "the process of teaching or learning," which actually meant "childrearing" in the 1500s, and was used interchangeably to mean "the training of animals."
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.
After that, the funds can be withdrawn without penalty for certain purposes such as educational expenses or the purchase of a first home.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
What once functioned as supplemental classroom software has effectively become critical educational infrastructure.
From Salon • May 9, 2026
And his visits to Hampshire and Dorset form part of that lifelong educational mission.
From BBC • May 8, 2026
If genetics strongly influence life outcomes, how much can educational programs and social interventions really change a person's long term trajectory?
From Science Daily • May 6, 2026
Imagine, three perfectly nice children and their governess attend the theater, which ought to be a cultural and educational experience of the highest order, and they get attacked by pirates instead!
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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.
