ACADEMIC

adj. 1 scholastic, collegiate; scholarly, learned, lettered, erudite Green's academic background qualifies him for the professorship The university began publishing academic journals in the 19th century. 2 theoretical, hypothetical, conjectural, speculative, abstract; ivory-tower, visionary, idealistic; impractical, unrealistic, unpractical The car doesn't run, so the question of miles per gallon is purely academic