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.

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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

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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 ) ( see universe) + -itās -ity

Compare meaning

How does university compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• State College vs. university

Explanation

A university is a big school where you go to get a degree — maybe even a master’s or PhD. If you’re going to a university, you’re probably on a big campus that also offers housing for students and professors. Just like the word universe (“the whole world”), university comes from the Latin word universus, meaning "whole, entire." So think of a university as being sort of a world of its own — an institute of higher education where you live and study. A university generally offers advanced degrees and research opportunities in many fields. Sometimes college and university are used to mean the same thing, but colleges are typically smaller and more limited in scope than universities.

Example Sentences

According to his LinkedIn page, Loftis attended the University of Nebraska at Omaha from 2000-2005 and earned a bachelor’s degree in management of information systems.

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026

Then, in 1978, while Roberts was in law school, in a 5–4 decision in Regents of the University of California v.

From Slate • May 7, 2026

That will be split between Hillingdon NHS Trust, which will receive £13.91, and Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, which will get £264.22.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

“When it was created 51 years ago, ‘SNL’ was almost perfectly designed for the internet,” said Robert Thompson, the director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University.

From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026

Much of the ethnic diversity in Chokecherry comes from visiting paleontologists involved in the dinosaur excavation sponsored by Wexford-Smythe University.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

Related Words

• academy
• institution
• school