schoolteacher

schoolteacher — noun

1. a person who is employed to teach children and teenagers at a school, covering t

1.nounB1
Definition

a person who is employed to teach children and teenagers at a school, covering the grade levels from kindergarten through the final year of high school

Example

Wren has been a schoolteacher at a primary school for over twenty years.

collocation: at a [type of school]

The schoolteacher asked her students to bring leaves from their garden for a science project.

Common collocations
  • elementary schoolteacher
  • primary school teacher
  • high school teacher
  • retired schoolteacher
  • substitute schoolteacher
  • former schoolteacher
Synonyms
  • teacher

    broader term; used for anyone who teaches, including adults and college students

  • educator

    more formal; can include administrators and curriculum designers, not only classroom teachers

  • instructor

    often used for specific skills, sports, or short-term courses at any level

Antonyms
  • student

    a person who learns from a teacher

Usage Note

Often shortened to 'teacher' in everyday conversation. The full form 'schoolteacher' is more common when contrasting with university-level instructors such as professors or lecturers.

Common Mistakes

My uncle is a schoolteacher at Harvard University.
My uncle is a professor at Harvard University.
'schoolteacher' refers to kindergarten through grade 12, not university-level teaching.
The schoolteacher graded the final exams for her college calculus class.
The professor graded the final exams for her college calculus class.
schoolteachers work in elementary, middle, and high schools, not colleges or universities.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While 'teacher' is the broadest term — covering anyone whose job is teaching, including adults and university students — 'schoolteacher' specifically narrows this to teaching children through grade 12 in a school setting. 'Educator' is more formal and often includes roles beyond direct classroom instruction, such as curriculum design or school administration. 'Instructor' typically refers to someone teaching a specific skill or a short course, often at a community college or training program. 'Professor' is reserved for university-level instruction, usually requiring an advanced degree. For example: 'My grandmother was a schoolteacher at a rural elementary school' but 'Dr. Okafor is a professor of chemistry at the university.'

teacher ↗educator ↗instructor ↗professor ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • work as a schoolteacher
  • train as a schoolteacher
  • qualify as a schoolteacher

Etymology

Old EnglishLatinGreekEnglish

A compound word formed in English from 'school' (from Old English 'scōl', via Latin 'schola' from Greek 'skholē' meaning 'leisure, discussion, place for learning') and 'teacher' (from Old English 'tǣcan' meaning 'to show, point out, instruct'). The combined term came into common use in the 19th century to distinguish school-level educators from university professors.