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schoolish

schoolish

8.0
Like the ideas of one group of artists or thinkers, following their usual, not new ways
  • adjective
  • /ˈskuːlɪʃ/
translation icon : escolar
  • Her schoolish approach to painting made her work seem less innovative than her peers'.

Examples

  • The essay was criticized for its schoolish repetition of established theories.

  • That was a very schoolish comment!

  • He avoided schoolish methods, preferring to develop his own unique style.

  • His ideas are quite schoolish and lack originality.

  • The artist's latest work is quite schoolish, reflecting conventional techniques from his academic training.

  • Many of the critiques were schoolish, sticking to traditional methods without offering new insights.

  • Her approach to the debate seemed schoolish, relying heavily on established theories instead of original thought.

How Conventional

formulaic
8 6.9
conventional
175 2.8
schoolish
8.0
innovative
165 5.5

Surface Forms

schoolish positive

Morphology

schoolish = school (transparent) = school + ish

Formed from the common noun 'school' plus the productive adjective-forming suffix '-ish' meaning 'pertaining to' or 'like', so the meaning is directly derivable.

Etymology

The word schoolish comes from school, which can mean a 'group with the same ideas', as in the phrase 'school of thought', and the ending -ish means 'like'. So schoolish describes something that follows a certain group's usual ideas and often feels usual and not new.