academy
noun
Simple meaning
An institution for the study of higher learning.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhkaduhmeeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
əˈkædəmi
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
An institution for the study of higher learning; a college or a university; typically a private school.
An institution for the advancement of art or science or literature
A learned establishment for the advancement of knowledge
A secondary school (usually private)
A school or place of training in which some special art is taught.
A body of established opinion in a particular field, regarded as authoritative.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: An institution for the study of higher learning; a college or a university; typically a private school.
An 'academy' can be a private high school, a specialized training institution (like a police academy), or, in a broader sense, a learned society. It usually implies a focus on rigorous instruction or specific expertise, often with a traditional feel.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where you'll really hear it
School tour
“This performing arts academy offers intensive training for young artists.”
Government announcement
“New recruits will attend the police academy for six months.”
Historical text
“The Royal Academy promoted art and science during the 18th century.”
Where it naturally appears
- Education/classroom
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use academy
- “Students train at the police academy for several months.”noun
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Associated with academia or an academy.
In regard to academic matters.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An annual award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for achievements in motion picture production and performance.
An academy that gives annual awards for achievements in motion picture production and performance.
An academy that gives annual awards for outstanding achievements in television.
An academy for training air force officers.
An honorary group of French writers and thinkers supported by the French government.
An academy for training military officers.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “academy” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.