Academism

/əˈkædəmɪzəm/ noun

Definition

Academic qualities or approaches; adherence to academic methods and principles; sometimes used to mean excessive formality or tradition in academic work.

Etymology

From academic plus the suffix -ism. This word is slightly different from 'academicism'—while academicism specifically critiques rigid adherence to tradition, academism more neutrally describes academic character or methods.

Kelly Says

The distinction between 'academicism' and 'academism' is subtle and somewhat murky in English—most dictionaries treat them as near-synonyms, but 'academicism' more clearly carries the negative 'overly rigid' meaning, while 'academism' is more neutral.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.