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donnish

[ don-ish ]

/ ˈdɒn ɪʃ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR donnish ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

resembling or characteristic of a university don; bookish; pedantic.

Origin of donnish

First recorded in 1825–35; don¹ + -ish¹

OTHER WORDS FROM donnish

don·nish·ly, adverb don·nish·ness, noun don·nism, noun

Words nearby donnish

donne, donne, john, donnelly, donner pass, donnert, donnish, donny, donnybrook, donnybrook fair, donnée, donor

Example sentences from the Web for donnish

I thought that he was affecting the poet, and in me he found a donnish affectation of the British sportsman.

The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition |Robert Louis Stevenson
He had known dons at Oxford, and placed Lady Latimer in the donnish caste: that was all.

The Vicissitudes of Bessie Fairfax |Harriet Parr
Sheffield said he liked people to be natural, and hated that donnish manner.

Loss and Gain |John Henry Newman
I do not know whether I am donnish with him, or if I bullied him too much when he was little; but he is always counter to me.

The Pillars of the House, Vol. I (of 2) |Charlotte M. Yonge

Never were dons of the donnish sort more brilliantly twitted than by young Belloc.

Shandygaff |Christopher Morley

British Dictionary definitions for donnish

donnish

/ (ˈdɒnɪʃ) /

adjective

of or resembling a university don

Derived forms of donnish

donnishly, adverb donnishness, noun