6 ADJ You can say that a discussion or situation is academic if you think it is not important because it has no real effect or cannot happen. □ Such is the size of the problem that these arguments are purely academic. SYNONYMS academic ADJ 4
scholarly: He was an intellectual, scholarly man.
intellectuaclass="underline" He belonged to an intellectual elite.
learned: She is a serious scholar, a genuinely learned woman.
erudite: Maria was never dull, always erudite and well informed.
well-read: He was clever, well-read and interested in the arts.
acad|emi|cian /əkæ dəm I ʃ ə n, [AM ] æ kədə-/ (academicians ) N‑COUNT An academician is a member of an academy, usually one which has been formed to improve or maintain standards in a particular field.
acad|emy ◆◇◇ /əkæ dəmi/ (academies )
1 N‑COUNT Academy is sometimes used in the names of secondary schools and colleges, or private high schools in the United States. □ [+ of ] …the Royal Academy of Music. □ …her experience as a police academy instructor.
2 N‑COUNT Academy appears in the names of some societies formed to improve or maintain standards in a particular field. □ [+ of ] …the American Academy of Psychotherapists.
ac|cede /æksiː d/ (accedes , acceding , acceded )
1 VERB If you accede to someone's request, you do what they ask. [FORMAL ] □ [V + to ] Britain would not accede to France's request.
2 VERB When a member of a royal family accedes to the throne, they become king or queen. [FORMAL ] [Also V ]
ac|cel|er|ate /ækse ləre I t/ (accelerates , accelerating , accelerated )
1 VERB If the process or rate of something accelerates or if something accelerates it, it gets faster and faster. □ [V ] Growth will accelerate to 2.9% next year. □ [V n] The government is to accelerate its privatisation programme.
2 VERB When a moving vehicle accelerates , it goes faster and faster. □ [V ] Suddenly the car accelerated. □ [V prep/adv] She accelerated away from us.
ac|cel|era|tion /ækse ləre I ʃ ə n/
1 N‑UNCOUNT The acceleration of a process or change is the fact that it is getting faster and faster. □ [+ of/in ] He has also called for an acceleration of political reforms.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Acceleration is the rate at which a car or other vehicle can increase its speed, often seen in terms of the time that it takes to reach a particular speed. □ Acceleration to 60 mph takes a mere 5.7 seconds.
3 N‑UNCOUNT Acceleration is the rate at which the speed of an object increases. [TECHNICAL ]
ac|cel|era|tor /ækse ləre I tə r / (accelerators ) N‑COUNT The accelerator in a car or other vehicle is the pedal which you press with your foot in order to make the vehicle go faster. □ He eased his foot off the accelerator.
ac|cent /æ ks ə nt/ (accents )
1 N‑COUNT Someone who speaks with a particular accent pronounces the words of a language in a distinctive way that shows which country, region, or social class they come from. □ He had developed a slight American accent.
2 N‑COUNT An accent is a short line or other mark which is written above certain letters in some languages and which indicates the way those letters are pronounced.
3 N‑SING If you put the accent on a particular feature of something, you emphasize it or give it special importance. □ [+ on ] He is putting the accent on military readiness.
ac|cent|ed /æ ksent I d/
1 ADJ Language or speech that is accented is spoken with a particular accent. □ I spoke rather good, but heavily accented English.
2 → see also accent
ac|cen|tu|ate /ækse ntʃue I t/ (accentuates , accentuating , accentuated ) VERB To accentuate something means to emphasize it or make it more noticeable. □ [V n] His shaven head accentuates his large round face.
ac|cept ◆◆◆ /ækse pt/ (accepts , accepting , accepted )
1 VERB If you accept something that you have been offered, you say yes to it or agree to take it. □ [V n] Eventually Sam persuaded her to accept an offer of marriage. □ [V ] All those invited to next week's peace conference have accepted.
2 VERB If you accept an idea, statement, or fact, you believe that it is true or valid. □ [V that] I do not accept that there is any kind of crisis in British science. □ [V n] I don't think they would accept that view. □ [V n + as ] He did not accept this reply as valid. □ [V -ed] …a workforce generally accepted to have the best conditions in Europe.
3 VERB If you accept a plan or an intended action, you agree to it and allow it to happen. □ [V n] The Council will meet to decide if it should accept his resignation.
4 VERB If you accept an unpleasant fact or situation, you get used to it or recognize that it is necessary or cannot be changed. □ [V n] People will accept suffering that can be shown to lead to a greater good. □ [V n + as ] Urban dwellers often accept noise as part of city life. □ [V that] I wasn't willing to accept that her leaving was a possibility.
5 VERB If a person, company, or organization accepts something such as a document, they recognize that it is genuine, correct, or satisfactory and agree to consider it or handle it. □ [V n] We advised newspapers not to accept the advertising. □ [be V -ed] Cheques can only be accepted up to the value guaranteed on the card. [Also V n as n/adj]