Standard Lemma guide

Ph.D.

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈpiːˌeɪ̯t͡ʃˈdiː/
  • Mid-Atlantic, US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: P IY1 EY2 CH D IY1 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Doctor of Philosophy, a terminal research degree, the highest of academic degrees conferred by a college or university.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A person who holds a Ph.D. degree.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a doctorate usually based on at least 3 years graduate study and a dissertation; the highest degree awarded graduate study

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: PhD

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: Doctor of Philosophy

History

Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin Ph.D., an abbreviation of Philosophiae Doctor (“Doctor of Philosophy”).