seminary

seminary — noun

1. A place of higher education where students prepare for religious roles, such as

1.nounB2
Definition

A place of higher education where students prepare for religious roles, such as becoming a priest, minister, or rabbi.

Example

After finishing university, Ilan chose to enter a seminary and study for the priesthood.

enter a seminary (begin religious training)

The seminary in central London accepts students from many different Christian traditions.

Common collocations
  • enter a seminary
  • attend a seminary
  • leave the seminary
  • graduate from seminary
  • seminary student
  • seminary training
  • Catholic seminary
  • theological seminary
Synonyms
  • theological college

    More common in British English; often part of a university rather than a standalone institution

  • divinity school

    Typically used for graduate-level programs within a US university; more academic in tone

  • rabbinical college

    Specifically for training rabbis in the Jewish tradition

Grammar Patterns

a/the seminary

enter/attend/leave + a/the seminary

seminary + for + noun/verb-ing

Usage Note

Frequently used with a preceding article (a seminary, the seminary). The phrase 'enter the seminary' is a fixed expression meaning to begin training for the priesthood or ministry.

Common Mistakes

He went to seminary after college.
He went to a seminary after college.
'Seminary' is a countable noun and usually needs an article or determiner like 'a', 'the', or 'my'.
She studied at seminary for become a minister.
She studied at a seminary to become a minister.
Use 'to + infinitive' to express purpose, not 'for + verb'.

2. A school, especially one that is privately run, that provides general education

2.nounC1
Definition

A school, especially one that is privately run, that provides general education without restricting its teaching to religious subjects.

Example

Sirin attended a small seminary in the countryside where she studied mathematics and literature.

attend a seminary (as a general school)

In the nineteenth century, many towns had seminaries that taught both boys and girls together.

historical usage: seminaries as general schools in the 1800s

Common collocations
  • attend a seminary
  • send someone to a seminary
  • small seminary
  • local seminary
Synonyms
  • private school

    Much more common in modern English; the standard term for fee-paying schools

  • academy

    Often implies a school with a special focus or higher academic standards

  • boarding school

    Specifically refers to schools where students live on the premises

Grammar Patterns

a/the seminary

at a/the seminary

Usage Note

This sense is now rare in everyday English. In modern usage, 'seminary' almost always refers to a religious training college. For a general private school, use 'private school' or 'academy' instead.

Common Mistakes

I send my daughter to a local seminary.' (in modern everyday speech).
I send my daughter to a local private school.
In modern English, 'seminary' almost always means a religious college; use 'private school' or 'academy' for general education.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Seminary is the most general and widely understood term for an institution that trains religious leaders such as priests, ministers, or rabbis. A theological college is more common in British English and is often part of a larger university, with a slightly more academic focus. A divinity school typically refers to a graduate-level program within a US university, such as Harvard Divinity School, and is associated with scholarly study of religion rather than purely vocational training. A rabbinical college specifically prepares students to become rabbis in the Jewish tradition and includes study of Hebrew texts and Jewish law. In everyday conversation, seminary remains the most natural choice across both Christian and Jewish contexts — for example, 'He decided to enter a seminary after years of volunteer work at his local church.'

seminary ↗theological collegedivinity schoolrabbinical college

Common collocations

Nouns

  • seminary student
  • seminary training
  • seminary education
  • seminary graduate

Phrases

  • enter the seminary
  • leave the seminary
  • attend a seminary

Prepositions

  • at a seminary
  • in a seminary
  • from a seminary

Etymology

LatinEnglish

The word 'seminary' comes from the Latin 'seminarium', meaning a seed bed or nursery — a place where young plants are grown from seed. In the 15th century, English speakers began using it as a metaphor for any place that 'nurtures' or 'cultivates' something, and by the 16th century it had taken on its modern meaning of a school that trains religious leaders.