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akademisch
academic
Relates to universities, colleges, and the scholarly world in general.
example
Sie strebt eine akademische Laufbahn als Professorin an.
She is aiming for an academic career as a professor.
akademisch
academic
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Word family
'Akademisch' (academic) belongs to the word family of 'die Akademie' (an academic or artistic society) and 'der Akademiker' (a person with a university degree).
EXAMPLE
Als Akademiker hat er viele Jahre an der Universität geforscht.
As an academic, he spent many years doing research at the university.
Typical collocations
With reference to university, 'akademisch' (academic) is often used in fixed expressions such as 'ein akademischer Grad' (an academic degree, e.g. bachelor's, master's), 'eine akademische Laufbahn' (an academic career), or 'ein akademisches Viertel' (15 minutes of lateness at the start of a lecture).
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Masterabschluss erhielt sie ihren ersten akademischen Grad.
After completing her master's degree, she received her first academic degree.
Context clue
The meaning 'rein theoretisch' (purely theoretical) often has a slightly dismissive undertone. It is frequently used with words like 'rein' (purely), 'nur' (only), or in the expressions 'eine akademische Frage' (an academic question) or 'eine akademische Diskussion' (an academic discussion).
EXAMPLE
Die Diskussion darüber ist rein akademisch, denn die Entscheidung ist längst gefallen.
The discussion about that is purely academic, because the decision has long since been made.
Compare with
akademisch vs praktisch
practical / virtually
'praktisch' and 'akademisch' can form a contrast when it comes to practice and theory. 'praktisch' then means: it is about application, experience, and what you really do. In this context, 'akademisch' can mean: very theoretical and without direct use for the real situation. The words can be confused because both appear in discussions about learning, work, or problems. 'praktisch' fits when a solution works in everyday life; 'akademisch' fits when a question remains more theoretical.
akademisch
Die Diskussion wurde sehr akademisch und half uns bei dem Problem kaum weiter.
The discussion became very academic and hardly helped us with the problem.
praktisch
Im Kurs üben wir praktische Gespräche für den Alltag.
In the course, we practice practical conversations for everyday life.
In real life
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