faculty

American  

[fak-uhl-tee] / ˈfæk əl ti /

noun

plural

faculties

1. an ability, natural or acquired, for a particular kind of action.

   a faculty for making friends easily.

   Synonyms:

   skill, potential, knack, aptitude, capacity

2. one of the powers of the mind, as memory, reason, or speech.

   Though very sick, he is in full possession of all his faculties.

3. an inherent capability of the body.

   the faculties of sight and hearing.

4. exceptional ability or aptitude.

   a president with a faculty for management.

5. Education.

   1. the entire teaching and administrative force of a university, college, or school.

   2. one of the departments of learning, as theology, medicine, or law, in a university.

   3. the teaching body, sometimes with the students, in any of these departments.

6. the members of a learned profession.

   the medical faculty.

7. a power or privilege conferred by the state, a superior, etc..

   The police were given the faculty to search the building.

8. Ecclesiastical. a dispensation, license, or authorization.

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faculty British  

/ ˈfækəltɪ /

noun

1. one of the inherent powers of the mind or body, such as reason, memory, sight, or hearing

2. any ability or power, whether acquired or inherent

3. a conferred power or right

4. 1. a department within a university or college devoted to a particular branch of knowledge

   2. the staff of such a department

   3. all the teaching staff at a university, college, school, etc

5. all members of a learned profession

6. archaic occupation

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Related Words

See ability.

Other Word Forms

• interfaculty noun
• profaculty adjective
• underfaculty noun

Etymology

Origin of faculty

1350–1400; Middle English faculte < Anglo-French, Middle French < Latin facultāt- (stem of facultās ) ability, power, equivalent to facil ( is ) easy ( facile ) + -tāt- -ty ²; facility

Example Sentences

DeShazier is the director of experiential education and affiliate faculty at McCormick Theological Institute, and senior pastor at University Church Chicago in Hyde Park.

From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026

Harvard administrators and some faculty counter that the goal is to fix the culture and challenge students to invest in their coursework.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

"You often have undergraduates that are part of papers - faculty choose undergraduates all the time to work on papers and projects. But for an undergraduate to be the lead author is a huge deal."

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

Harvard’s faculty is set to vote next week on a proposal to cap the number of A’s per course, which now comprise more than half of undergraduate grades after years of inflation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Surely she would not have to go in there with the students, she thought; surely he would open the faculty lounge soon and she could use the unisex restroom there, the one reserved for teachers.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

Related Words

• department
• institute
• personnel
• staff
• university