2. Scholarly and intellectual.
3. Theoretical and not of any practical relevance.
4. Using the conventional techniques or emphasizing the formal aspects of an art form; such as, painting or poetry.
5. Designed for students who intend to study at a college after high school, or attending a school with such courses.
6. Someone teaching or conducting research at an institution of higher learning.
7. Someone with a scholarly background or attitudes.
Academic anthropologists do research; however, their objectives are usually more for the contributions they can make to general knowledge.
Academic anthropologists do research about mankind; however, the primary objectives are more for the contributions they can make to general knowledge about humans.
2. Theoretical rather than practical: "It is amazing how much heat the intercollegiate debate aroused; after all, the importance of the French Revolution is now only an academic question."
The source of the terms academy, academic and related words
On the outskirts of ancient Athens there was a grove sacred to the hero Akademus. In this park the philosopher Plato established his school or college in about 385 B.C. Both the garden and the school were called Akademia after the name of the hero.
The English words "academy, academic, academician, academical" and others from that family of words are derived from the name of Plato's school.
The term "academy" is now applied to institutions of higher learning, secondary schools, or any place where special subjects, arts, and skills are taught, so we have military academies, riding academies, fencing academies, dancing academies, and even billiard academies.
The meaning of the word has also been extended to include societies of learned people who have united to advance learning, literature, the arts, and the sciences; such as, the French Academy, the National Academy of Sciences, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
2. Someone with a scholarly background or attitudes: "Her academics inspired students to strive for greater knowledge and experiences in the field of linguistics."