antieducationalist
|an-ti-ed-u-ca-tion-al-ist|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.ti.ɛdʒʊˈkeɪ.ʃə.nəl.ɪst/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.ti.ɛdʒʊˈkeɪ.ʃən.əl.ɪst/
against formal education
Etymology
'antieducationalist' originates from the combining form 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against') and 'educationalist' (derived from English 'education' and the agentive suffix '-ist'), where 'anti-' meant 'against' and 'education' (from Latin 'educatio') referred to upbringing or instruction.
'education' entered English via Latin 'educatio' (from 'educare', to bring up) and Old French forms; 'educational' developed from 'education' + '-al', 'educationalist' arose in modern English as an agentive/occupational formation ('-ist'), and 'antieducationalist' is a later compound formed by prefixing 'anti-' to that modern formation.
Initially the elements meant 'against' (anti-) and 'upbringing/teaching' (education); over time the compound has come to mean specifically 'opposed to formal or institutional education' rather than literally 'against upbringing' in general.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person who is opposed to formal schooling or conventional systems of education; someone who advocates against institutionalized education.
The antieducationalist argued that compulsory schooling stifled creativity.
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Noun 2
a critic who contends that conventional educational methods are harmful, unnecessary, or counterproductive and who may promote alternative approaches (e.g., unschooling, informal learning).
As an antieducationalist, she promoted home-based unschooling instead of traditional classrooms.
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Last updated: 2025/08/31 07:25