unacademic
Outside ivory towers
Unacademic describes something that doesn't fit scholarly standards or conventions.
An unacademic writing style might be too casual or personal for peer-reviewed journals.
The word can also describe people who lack interest in or aptitude for formal education: He was cheerfully unacademic, preferring hands-on work to lectures.
Lacking methodical arrangement
- impressionisticConveying general mood, not specifics
- intuitiveKnown without reasoning
- speculativeBased on conjecture
- anecdotalBased on casual observation
casual · superficial · unscholarly · unresearched · undocumented · uncited · unsubstantiated · layperson
Involving direct physical engagement
- vocationalRelated to skilled work
- appliedPut into practice
- skill-basedDependent on acquired abilities
- apprenticeshipLearning trade through employment
trade · workshop · craftsmanship · technical · real-world · experiential · pragmatic · utilitarian
Casual, everyday language
- conversationalRelating to informal dialogue
- casualRelaxed and informal
- chattyInclined to converse freely
- vernacularEveryday regional speech
anecdotal · relaxed · everyday · plainspoken · accessible · unpretentious · down-to-earth · folksy
Contrary to accepted practice
- nonconformistRejects prevailing social standards
- maverickIndependent-minded rule-breaker
- iconoclasticAttacking cherished beliefs
- heterodoxContrary to accepted doctrine
freethinking · anti-establishment · self-directed · autodidact · outsider · rebellious · rule-breaking · alternative
unsystematic
Lacking methodical arrangement
- impressionisticConveying general mood, not specifics
- intuitiveKnown without reasoning
- speculativeBased on conjecture
anecdotal · casual · superficial · unscholarly · unresearched · undocumented · uncited · unsubstantiated · layperson · amateur
hands-on
Involving direct physical engagement
- vocationalRelated to skilled work
- appliedPut into practice
- skill-basedDependent on acquired abilities
apprenticeship · trade · workshop · craftsmanship · technical · real-world · experiential · pragmatic · utilitarian · fieldwork
colloquial
Casual, everyday language
- conversationalRelating to informal dialogue
- casualRelaxed and informal
- chattyInclined to converse freely
vernacular · anecdotal · relaxed · everyday · plainspoken · accessible · unpretentious · down-to-earth · folksy · simple
unorthodox
Contrary to accepted practice
- nonconformistRejects prevailing social standards
- maverickIndependent-minded rule-breaker
- iconoclasticAttacking cherished beliefs
heterodox · freethinking · anti-establishment · self-directed · autodidact · outsider · rebellious · rule-breaking · alternative · independent
unacademicacademic
Relating to education or theory
scholarly · professorial · erudite · learned · intellectual
unacademictheoretical
Based on hypothesis, untested
abstract · speculative · ivory-tower · impractical · rarefied
academic, academy, academics, academia, academies, nonacademic, academician, academically