doctoral
- 01 C1 Advanced
relating to a doctorate, the highest degree given by a university.
relating to a doctorate or the process of obtaining the highest academic degree awarded by a university.
Simple“She is currently writing her doctoral thesis on ancient history.”
In context“The candidate successfully defended her doctoral dissertation before a committee of international experts in the field of molecular biology.”
UsageUsually placed before the noun it modifies, such as 'thesis', 'student', or 'program'.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C2 Proficiency
relating to a medical doctor or their work.
pertaining to a physician or the practice of medicine.
Simple“The hospital followed strict doctoral standards for patient care.”
In context“The report highlighted several doctoral errors that occurred during the initial triage process at the rural clinic.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is much rarer than the academic one; in modern English, people almost always use 'medical' instead.
Synonymsmedicalphysicianly
Usage doctoral student · doctoral candidate · doctoral thesis
“My doctoral thesis on older workers suggests that for experienced employees who are already burned out, more digital training is not always the answer.”
“My doctoral research used years of data breach records to follow organizations over time.”
From doctor + -al, probably modelled on Latin doctorālis.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.