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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.

“These numbers reflect California’s commitment to academic excellence, access, and innovation, values that have made the University of California the world’s greatest research university,” UC President James B. Milliken said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times

It's an approach that was inspired by his university course in graphic design.

From BBC

The 124-acre Pasadena university has more than 300 faculty and roughly 2,400 students.

From Los Angeles Times

As the rising cost of four-year universities has led many to question the value of higher education, training for high-demand trades has been growing.

From Los Angeles Times

"He said he was going to university for us," she says.

From BBC

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.