educational

educational — adjective

1. relating to teaching and learning, especially in schools, colleges, or training

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

relating to teaching and learning, especially in schools, colleges, or training programs; also describes books, shows, visits, or other experiences that teach you something useful

Example

The documentary about ocean life was very educational for the children.

be educational + for [person]

Zayd works for an educational charity that builds schools in rural areas.

educational + noun (charity / institution)

Common collocations
  • highly educational
  • deeply educational
  • educational experience
  • educational program
  • educational system
  • educational institution
  • educational materials
  • educational value
  • educational background
  • educational opportunity
Synonyms
  • instructive

    more focused on direct teaching of a practical skill or lesson, often through a specific activity or manual

  • informative

    emphasises the amount of useful facts provided, especially through media, talks, or reports

  • academic

    relates specifically to formal school or university study, not casual or experiential learning

Antonyms
  • uneducational

    simple direct opposite; describes something that does not teach or relate to learning

  • uninformative

    describes something that provides little or no useful information

Grammar Patterns

educational + noun

be educational

find + noun + educational

Usage Note

Works both before a noun (educational system) and after a linking verb (the film was educational). When used predicatively, it almost always means 'teaching you something useful' rather than 'relating to education.'

Common Mistakes

Playing this game is education.
Playing this game is educational.
'education' is a noun (the system/process); 'educational' is the adjective meaning it teaches you something.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words relate to learning, but they apply in different contexts. Educational is the broadest term, covering anything connected with teaching, learning, or gaining knowledge — from a school system to a children's TV show. Instructive is more specific: it describes something deliberately designed to teach a particular skill or lesson, such as a manual or a training session. Informative focuses on the transfer of facts: a lecture or news report can be informative without being deeply educational in a broader sense. Academic relates strictly to formal schooling, research, and scholarly study — an academic journal is not typically called educational, even though it involves learning. Choosing between them depends on whether the focus is broad learning (educational), practical instruction (instructive), factual content (informative), or formal study (academic).

educational ↗instructive ↗informative ↗academic ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'educational' was formed by adding the suffix -al (meaning 'relating to') to the noun 'education', which comes from the Latin word educare, meaning 'to bring up or train a child'. The adjective has been used in English since the mid-18th century.