professorial
adjective
ˌprō-fə-ˈsȯr-ē-əl 
ˌprä-
: of, relating to, characteristic of, or resembling a professor
professorial duties
professorial authority
a calm, professorial manner
Johnson was professorial in his approach to the game. He could talk for hours on the nuances of the Czechoslovak national team's power play.—
E. M. Swift
E. M. Swift
professorially
ˌprō-fə-ˈsȯr-ē-ə-lē
adverb
ˌprä-
… a tall man with professorially thick glasses and graying, tangled hair …
—John Seabrook
John Seabrook
Examples of professorial in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The movie’s true set pieces are the professorial villain’s ostentatious monologues using fast food, musical plagiarism, and Monopoly as metaphors to point out how modern religions are just conspicuous iterations of what’s come before.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
Review Eagles pay tribute to J.D. Souther, Jimmy Buffett at Sphere
As expected, Henley, clad in his traditional stage gear of a professorial vest, took a moment to honor J.D.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 21 Sep. 2024
From the March 2024 issue: The rise of techno-authoritarianism
This is a surprising role for someone who started as almost a parody of professorial obscurity.
—Daniel Immerwahr, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2024
Lanky and bearded, often solemn in tone but with a ready edge of sarcasm, Towne could show a professorial air.
—Fred Schruers, IndieWire, 2 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for professorial 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
Review Eagles pay tribute to J.D. Souther, Jimmy Buffett at Sphere
As expected, Henley, clad in his traditional stage gear of a professorial vest, took a moment to honor J.D.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 21 Sep. 2024
From the March 2024 issue: The rise of techno-authoritarianism
This is a surprising role for someone who started as almost a parody of professorial obscurity.
—Daniel Immerwahr, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2024
Lanky and bearded, often solemn in tone but with a ready edge of sarcasm, Towne could show a professorial air.
—Fred Schruers, IndieWire, 2 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for professorial
Dictionary Entries Near professorial
Cite this Entry
“Professorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/professorial. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share