I. ac ‧ a ‧ dem ‧ ic 1 W2 AC /ˌækəˈdemɪk◂/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ academy , ↑ academia , ↑ academic , ↑ academe , ↑ academician ; adverb : ↑ academically ; adjective : ↑ academic ≠ UNACADEMIC ]
1 . [usually before noun] relating to education, especially at college or university level OPP non-academic :
He possessed no academic qualifications.
a program to raise academic standards
2 . [usually before noun] concerned with studying from books, as opposed to practical work:
the study of art as an academic discipline
3 . good at studying OPP unacademic :
He’s not very academic.
4 . if a discussion about something is academic, it is a waste of time because the speakers cannot change the existing situation:
The question of where we go on holiday is purely academic since we don’t have any money.
—academically /-kli/ adverb
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COLLOCATIONS
■ nouns
▪ academic qualifications
He had the right experience and academic qualifications for the job.
▪ academic performance
Personal problems may affect a student’s academic performance.
▪ academic achievements
Girls’ academic achievements are at least as good as boys’.
▪ academic standards (=levels that are considered to be acceptable)
The school has high academic standards.
▪ academic research (=study of a subject, in order to discover new facts or test new ideas)
Many academic research projects take years to complete.
▪ academic study
After academic study, you have to gain practical experience.
▪ an academic subject
Children who are not good at academic subjects may excel in music or sport.
▪ an academic discipline (=a subject that is studied at university)
the academic disciplines of linguistics, psychology and sociology
▪ an academic career
She wanted to pursue an academic career.
▪ the academic year (=the time within a period of 12 months when students are studying at a school or university)
Language students spend the third academic year abroad.
▪ the academic world (=the institutions, people etc involved in education)
In the academic world, the theory was received less approvingly.
▪ academic freedom (=the freedom to study what you want)
There is concern for the academic freedom of both staff and students.
II. academic 2 AC BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ academy , ↑ academia , ↑ academic , ↑ academe , ↑ academician ; adverb : ↑ academically ; adjective : ↑ academic ≠ UNACADEMIC ]
a teacher in a college or university