extracurricular

American  

[ek-struh-kuh-rik-yuh-ler] / ˌɛk strə kəˈrɪk yə lər /

adjective

1. outside the regular curriculum or program of courses.

   football, orchestra, and other extracurricular activities.

2. outside one's regular work, responsibilities, or routine.

3. Informal. outside the conventional bounds of propriety or ethics.

   Does his wife know he has an extracurricular girlfriend?

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extracurricular British  

/ ˌɛkstrəkəˈrɪkjʊlə /

adjective

1. taking place outside the normal school timetable

   extracurricular activities

2. beyond the regular duties, schedule, etc

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Etymology

Origin of extracurricular

First recorded in 1920–25; extra- + curricular ( def. )

Explanation

Something extracurricular takes place in addition to your regular school or work duties. Being involved in extracurricular activities in high school — like sports or journalism — can help you get accepted to the college of your choice. Extracurricular is a combination of the Latin prefix extra- meaning "on the outside" and the word curriculum, meaning "a running, course, career." Something that is extracurricular is on the outside of your course or career. When you get involved in an extracurricular activity, you are going outside of what's expected. Extracurricular can also refer to a spouse's adulterous activities, taking place outside of their marriage commitment.

Example Sentences

They can usually direct their donations toward funding a specific mission – perhaps in memory of a favorite professor, supporting cancer research or to support extracurricular activities such as sports.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026

Apps or technologies serving extracurricular programs or sports teams can claim they weren’t designed and marketed for the classroom, or that their use isn’t mandatory, said Vance.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2026

Since 1979, teen labor-force participation has fallen from around 60% to 35%-40%, due to a tightening of labor laws, socio-economic changes and more school commitments and extracurricular activities.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 16, 2026

School officials said the exclusion was unacceptable, noting that educational programmes and extracurricular activities are held on those days.

From Barron's • Jan. 13, 2026

He didn’t have a lot of free hours, because basketball was a demanding extracurricular activity and a massive time-suck, but we always found a way to make it work.

From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi

Related Words

• cheating
• illicit