Meaning & use
academically
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Meanings
adverb
In a way that relates to education, study, or thinking rather than practical skills.
Grammar: Often used to describe a person's performance or interest in school subjects.
Patterns
- do well/poorly academically
- academically gifted
- academically inclined
She struggled socially at first but did very well academically.
The school is known for being academically challenging.
He is academically gifted but finds sports difficult.
adverb
In a way that relates to formal study or research at a university or similar institution.
Grammar: Used to describe work, writing, or subjects connected to universities and research.
Patterns
- academically rigorous
- academically respected
The journal is academically respected but not widely read.
Her work is academically rigorous and well researched.
The course is academically demanding, requiring many hours of reading.
Common combinations
- academically gifted
- The program supports academically gifted students.
- do well academically
- He did well academically and got into a good university.
- academically challenging
- The new curriculum is more academically challenging.
- academically inclined
- She was always academically inclined, preferring books to games.
Synonyms and how they differ
- scholastically
- Similar meaning but more formal and less common; 'academically' is the usual choice.
- intellectually
- Focuses on thinking and understanding rather than formal education.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: academically or academic?
academically vs academic
Academic is an adjective or noun; 'academically' is the adverb, used to modify verbs or adjectives.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
'Academically' is an adverb, so it modifies 'performed' in 'performed academically well'. The other options use it as a noun or verb, which is incorrect.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “academically”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.