scholastic

American  

[skuh-las-tik] / skəˈlæs tɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to schools, scholars, or education.

   scholastic attainments.

2. of or relating to secondary education or schools.

   a scholastic meet.

3. pedantic.

4. of or relating to the medieval schoolmen.

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noun

1. (sometimes initial capital letter) a schoolman, a disciple of the schoolmen, or an adherent of scholasticism.

2. a pedantic person.

3. Roman Catholic Church. a student in a scholasticate.

scholastic British  

/ skəˈlæstɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or befitting schools, scholars, or education

2. pedantic or precise

3. (often capital) characteristic of or relating to the medieval Schoolmen

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noun

1. a student or pupil

2. a person who is given to quibbling or logical subtleties; pedant

3. (often capital) a disciple or adherent of scholasticism; Schoolman

4. 1. a Jesuit student who is undergoing a period of probation prior to commencing his theological studies

   2. the status and position of such a student

5. a formalist in art

Other Word Forms

• antischolastic adjective
• antischolastically adverb
• hyperscholastic adjective
• hyperscholastically adverb
• nonscholastic adjective
• nonscholastical adjective
• nonscholastically adverb
• postscholastic adjective
• prescholastic adjective
• proscholastic adjective
• pseudoscholastic adjective
• pseudoscholastically adverb
• quasi-scholastic adjective
• quasi-scholastically adverb
• scholastically adverb
• semischolastic adjective
• semischolastically adverb
• unscholastic adjective
• unscholastically adverb

Etymology

Origin of scholastic

1590–1600; < Latin scholasticus < Greek scholastikós studious, learned, derivative of scholázein to be at leisure to study. See school ¹, -tic

Explanation

Something that's scholastic has to do with schools or learning. If you brag about your town's scholastic excellence, you mean that you've got great schools. When your school principal talks about scholastic achievement, she's discussing the grades and test scores of her students, and if you referred to your own scholastic challenges, you probably mean the subjects you find the most difficult in school. One well-known U.S. college entrance exam is the SAT, which was originally an acronym for Scholastic Aptitude Test. The word is from the Latin scholasticus, "of a school," with the Greek root skholastikos, "devoting one's leisure to learning."

Example Sentences

What really rankles Hedda, though, is that Lovborg and Thea have created something sublime while she has sought refuge with a scholastic mediocrity.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026

Now 44 states, along with the District of Columbia, allow some form of NIL at the scholastic level.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

Chait missed his calling as a medieval scholastic agonizing over how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.

From Salon • Jan. 14, 2024

The amendment was extended to scholastic sports in 1979.

From Washington Times • Nov. 3, 2023

The topmost scholastic standing, I remember, kept shifting between me, a girl named Audrey Slaugh, and a boy named Jimmy Cotton.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

Related Words

• learned
• scholarly