faculty

noun fac·ul·ty \ ˈfa-kəl-tē \

Updated on: 4 Dec 2017

Definition of faculty

plural faculties

1 : ability, power: such as

a : innate or acquired ability to act or do

man … how infinite in faculty
—William Shakespeare

b : an inherent capability, power, or function

the faculty of hearing

c : any of the powers of the mind (such as will, reason, or instinct) formerly held by psychologists to form a basis for the explanation of all mental phenomena

d : natural aptitude

has a faculty for saying the right things

2 a : a branch of teaching or learning (such as law, medicine, or liberal arts) in an educational institution

b archaic : something in which one is trained or qualified

3 a : the members of a profession

b : the teaching and administrative staff and those members of the administration having academic rank in an educational institution

an excellent mathematics faculty

c faculty plural : faculty members

many faculty were present

4 : power, authority, or prerogative given or conferred

The state has the faculty to define treason.

See faculty defined for English-language learners

See faculty defined for kids

Examples of faculty in a Sentence

She's a member of the Harvard faculty.
The school hired more faculty.
a meeting with students and faculty
She has a faculty for making friends.
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Recent Examples of faculty from the Web

The conversations that began with student groups, faculty, and staff yesterday are going to continue and involve our full community.

— Essence.com, "#JusticeForJazzy: University Of Hartford President Confirms Brianna Brochu Is No Longer Attending The School," 2 Nov. 2017
In the context of a public university, there are usually three relevant speakers: administrators, faculty, and students.

— david french, National Review, "Progressives Are Now Arguing that the First Amendment Is Profoundly Limited on College Campuses," 27 Oct. 2017
The goal is to establish an annual gathering among CSUSM students, faculty and staff, the University Police Department and the neighboring communities.

— laura groch, sandiegouniontribune.com, "North County School News, Sept. 21," 21 Sep. 2017
In less than 24 hours, Barry officials managed to charter a private plane to St. Croix to evacuate students, faculty and staff, who are part of the university’s physician assistant program.

— monique o. madan, miamiherald, "These students fled the Virgin Islands just in time before Hurricane Maria," 18 Sep. 2017
The 120-question campus-wide survey was available to faculty, students and staff online and on paper.

— katy bergen and mará rose williams the kansas city star, kansascity, "Why some UMKC students, staff and faculty feel dissatisfied on campus," 11 Sep. 2017
Her opponent, the Republican incumbent Scott Brown, claimed Warren used family lore to get an unfair advantage in getting hired to coveted faculty jobs at Harvard Law School and University of Pennsylvania Law School.

— eugene scott, Washington Post, "Trump’s ‘Pocahontas’ jab at Elizabeth Warren draws the ire of Native Americans," 3 Nov. 2017
But on Monday, the university informed graduate students and faculty in the History, Classics, and Classical Studies department of Harris’s withdrawal.

— lisa ryan, The Cut, "Prominent Columbia Professor Steps Down From Teaching Amid Harassment Lawsuit," 1 Nov. 2017
Leyden's faculty football game, a homecoming week tradition for at least a decade, raised an estimated $3,000 for the Leyden Family Fund this year, according to Leyden public relations director Maryann Mills.

— rachel k. hindery, chicagotribune.com, "'Leyden pride': Faculty football game continues as part of homecoming tradition," 25 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'faculty.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of faculty

Middle English faculte, from Anglo-French faculté, from Medieval Latin & Latin; Medieval Latin facultat-, facultas branch of learning or teaching, from Latin, ability, abundance, from facilis facile

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First Known Use: 14th century

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faculty Synonyms

Synonyms

power

Synonym Discussion of faculty

gift, faculty, aptitude, bent, talent, genius, knack mean a special ability for doing something. gift often implies special favor by God or nature.

- the gift of singing beautifully

faculty applies to an innate or less often acquired ability for a particular accomplishment or function.

- a faculty for remembering names

aptitude implies a natural liking for some activity and the likelihood of success in it.

- a mechanical aptitude

bent is nearly equal to aptitude but it stresses inclination perhaps more than specific ability.

- a family with an artistic bent

talent suggests a marked natural ability that needs to be developed.

- has enough talent to succeed

genius suggests impressive inborn creative ability.

- has no great genius for poetry

knack implies a comparatively minor but special ability making for ease and dexterity in performance.

- the knack of getting along

Other Education Terms

baccalaureate, colloquium, corequisite, dissertation, monograph, pedant, practicum, survey course, thesis

FACULTY Defined for English Language Learners

faculty

noun

Definition of faculty for English Language Learners

: the group of teachers in a school or college
faculty : faculty members or teachers
: one of the powers of your mind or body

FACULTY Defined for Kids

faculty

noun fac·ul·ty \ ˈfak-əl-tē \

Definition of faculty for Students

plural faculties

1 : ability to do something : talent

He has a faculty for making friends.

2 : one of the powers of the mind or body

the faculty of hearing

3 : the teachers in a school or college

Medical Dictionary

faculty

noun fac·ul·ty \ ˈfak-əl-tē \

medical Definition of faculty

plural faculties

1 a : an inherent capability, power, or function

the faculty of hearing

digestive faculty

b : one of the powers of the mind formerly held by psychologists to form a basis for the explanation of all mental phenomena

2 a : the members of a profession

b : the teaching and administrative staff and those members of the administration having academic rank in an educational institution

Learn More about faculty

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faculty

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