Meaning & use
collegiate
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Connected with a college or university, or with the students who study there.
Grammar: Used before a noun: collegiate sports, collegiate life. It is not usually used after a verb.
Patterns
- collegiate + noun
She joined a collegiate rowing team in her first year.
The city has a strong collegiate atmosphere because of its many universities.
Collegiate sports in the US often attract large audiences.
adjectivebefore a nounformal
Relating to a college or its organization, especially a self-governing group of colleges.
Grammar: Used before a noun in formal or historical contexts, such as a collegiate church.
Patterns
- collegiate + noun
The old collegiate church was built in the 14th century.
The university has a collegiate system with many small colleges.
He studied the history of collegiate institutions in Europe.
Common combinations
- collegiate sports
- She hopes to play collegiate sports while studying engineering.
- collegiate life
- He enjoyed collegiate life, especially the clubs and societies.
- collegiate atmosphere
- The town has a relaxed collegiate atmosphere.
- collegiate church
- The collegiate church is known for its beautiful stained glass.
- collegiate system
- The collegiate system means students belong to both a college and the university.
Synonyms and how they differ
- university
- Used before a noun to mean connected with a university; it is more general and does not always suggest college life.
- academic
- Focuses on study and teaching rather than on college life or sports.
Word family
- college noun
- A place where students study after high school, or a part of a university.
- collegian noun
- A college student; a fairly formal word.
Commonly confused: collegiate or collegial?
collegiate vs collegial
Collegial means friendly and cooperative among colleagues; collegiate means connected with a college.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'collegiate' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 1 is correct because 'collegiate' describes something connected with a college, such as a sports team. Option 0 is wrong because it describes a friendly relationship among colleagues, which is 'collegial'. Option 2 is wrong because 'collegiate' is not used for company policies. Option 3 is wrong because 'collegiate' is an adjective, not a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “collegiate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.