What does "academy" mean?
The garden where Plato taught.
Academy
/əˈkæd.ə.mi/ name, noun
name, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The garden where Plato taught.
- Grammar: academy is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: a school, academe, college, colleges.
- Usage evidence: His new movie earned him an Academy Award.
How to use "academy"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "academy" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "academy" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "academy" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "academy" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "academy" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "a school" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "academy", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The garden where Plato taught. capitalized, usually
- 2 a learned establishment for the advancement of knowledge wordnet
- 3 Plato's philosophical system based on skepticism; Plato's followers. capitalized, usually
- 4 a school for special training wordnet
- 5 An institution for the study of higher learning; a college or a university; typically a private school.
"The artists of London had long maintained a private academy for improvement in the art of drawing from living figures"
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 a secondary school (usually private) wordnet
- 7 A school or place of training in which some special art is taught.
"the military academy at West Point; a riding academy; the Academy of Music; a music academy; a language academy"
- 8 an institution for the advancement of art or science or literature wordnet
- 9 A society of learned people united for the advancement of the arts and sciences, and literature, or some particular art or science.
"the French Academy; the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; academies of literature and philology"
- 10 The knowledge disseminated in an Academy. obsolete
- 11 Academia.
"In the academy and outside of it, the privileging of technical expertise above other forms of knowledge is a political gesture, and one that has proved highly effective in neutralizing critique of established power relations."
- 12 A body of established opinion in a particular field, regarded as authoritative.
- 13 A school directly funded by central government, independent of local control; a charter school. UK
Proper Noun
- 1 The school for advanced education founded by Plato; the garden where Plato taught. uncountable
- 2 A place in the United States:; A northern neighbourhood of St. Louis, Missouri. uncountable
- 3 The disciples of Plato. uncountable
- 4 A place in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Charles Mix County, South Dakota. uncountable
- 5 Platonism. uncountable
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A place in the United States:; A settlement in the city of Little River-Academy, Bell County, Texas. uncountable
- 7 A specific society of scholars or artists. uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"His new movie earned him an Academy Award."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "academy"?
Common synonyms include: a school, academe, college, colleges, ecole, educational establishment.
How do you use "academy" in a sentence?
His new movie earned him an Academy Award.
How do you pronounce "academy"?
Pronounced /əˈkæd.ə.mi/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English Achademia, achademy, Achademye, achadomye, from Classical Latin Acadēmī̆a /acadēmī̆a, from Ancient Greek Ἀκαδημία (Akadēmía), a grove of trees and gymnasium outside of Athens where Plato taught; from the name of the supposed former owner of that estate, the Attic hero Akademos. Doublet of academe, academia, and Akademeia.
Etymology 2
From Middle English Achademia, achademy, Achademye, achadomye, from Classical Latin Acadēmī̆a /acadēmī̆a, from Ancient Greek Ἀκαδημία (Akadēmía), a grove of trees and gymnasium outside of Athens where Plato taught; from the name of the supposed former owner of that estate, the Attic hero Akademos. Doublet of academia and Akademeia; compare academe.