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Synonyms

university

American  
[yoo-nuh-vur-si-tee] / ˌyu nəˈvɜr sɪ ti /

noun

plural

universities

  1. an institution of learning of the highest level, having a college of liberal arts and a program of graduate studies together with several professional schools, as of theology, law, medicine, and engineering, and authorized to confer both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Continental European universities usually have only graduate or professional schools.

university British  
/ ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsɪtɪ /

noun

  1. an institution of higher education having authority to award bachelors' and higher degrees, usually having research facilities

  2. the buildings, members, staff, or campus of a university

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • antiuniversity adjective
  • counteruniversity noun
  • interuniversity adjective
  • nonuniversity noun
  • preuniversity adjective
  • prouniversity adjective
  • universitarian noun

Etymology

Origin of university

1250–1300; Middle English universite < Old French < Medieval Latin ūniversitās, Late Latin: guild, corporation, Latin: totality, equivalent to ūnivers ( us ) ( universe ) + -itās -ity

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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.

Plumb launched a recruiting campaign with billboards around Boston and a pledge to match the in-state tuition of any state flagship university.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Cal State L.A. holds a special place in his life, as he competed at the university during the NBA Summer Pro League in 1977-78.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

She was not diagnosed with endometriosis until four years later, after a friend suggested the condition while she was at university.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

We have no heirs and plan to leave our assets to an endowed scholarship at my alma mater, plus a smaller gift to a local university program.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

Using tar-based paint, Hans, Alex, and Willi painted “Down with Hitler” and other slogans on houses on Ludwigstrasse, a main street near the university.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

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.