seminar

American  

[sem-uh-nahr] / ˈsɛm əˌnɑr /

noun

seminars plural

1. a small group of students, as in a university, engaged in advanced study and original research under a member of the faculty and meeting regularly to exchange information and hold discussions.

2. the gathering place of such a group.

3. a meeting of such a group.

4. a course or subject of study for advanced graduate students.

5. any meeting for exchanging information and holding discussions.

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seminar British  

/ ˈsɛmɪˌnɑː /

noun

1. a small group of students meeting regularly under the guidance of a tutor, professor, etc, to exchange information, discuss theories, etc

2. one such meeting or the place in which it is held

3. a higher course for postgraduates

4. any group or meeting for holding discussions or exchanging information

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• seminars
  plural

Etymology

Origin of seminar

1885–90, < German < Latin sēminārium seminary

Explanation

A seminar means a class or meeting, but it carries with it extra weight. An educational seminar indicates a small, advanced study, while a meeting labeled as such means an intense exchange of ideas. The Latin seminarium originally referred to a plant nursery, a place of great growth. From this came the German seminar, referring to a formal educational group led by a professor. While university seminars are most frequently small-group studies of a particular issue, the word is also applied to large lectures and commercial pitches. Like the seminar you attended on how to get rich by selling carrot peelers to your neighbors.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

seminar seminars

Long-term unemployed people total 24 million, including 13 million who are 16-to-24-years-old, which hurts social stability, he said in an online seminar Saturday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

Beyond a purely aesthetic consideration, the exhibition is an engrossing seminar on every aspect of tarot.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

It’s interesting that the guy at your retirement seminar happened to choose 1998 as a starting point to illustrate his “too good to be true” returns.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 12, 2026

At the law school at Damascus University, more than 300 students attended a recent seminar addressed by international war crime legal specialists including Stephen Rapp, a former U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues.

From Slate ● May 27, 2026

I therefore set about devising a better mathematical treatment, which I described at an informal seminar in Oxford at the end of November 1973.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

This study from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners says that roughly 40% of people who attend seminars actually do let their guard down and buy a product.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026

The program features seminars, field trips and inspections emphasizing that party members must work to improve people’s lives instead of protecting their own careers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

"I know that I've benefited from the warnings put on books and on topics of discussion within the seminars but I've not felt inhibited from my degree."

From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2026

Also, a 2021 study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research documented hostile environments in economics seminars, with female presenters experiencing more interruptions and encountering more patronizing behavior.

From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2026

Now, thanks to the educational seminars and emergency care provided by the clinic’s volunteer staff, that mortality rate has been cut to less than one death per 30,000 trekkers.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Related Words

• convention
• discussion
• forum
• group discussion
• meeting
• round table
• symposium
• workshop