Faculty is a noun with two main meanings. It can refer to a mentalrelating to the mind or thinking processes abilitythe capacity to do something well or successfully, especially a natural power of the mind, or to the teachers and administratorspeople who manage the operations of an institution who work at a school or college.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /ˈfækəlti/
Easy pronunciation: FAK-uhl-tee (approximate spelling).
Stress: Stress the first syllable.
This is the mental-ability sense, not the group of teachers sense.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Faculty Meaning
a mental ability or power
Part of speech: noun
Definition: one of the natural powers of the mind or senses
Example: As he aged, his memory faculty became less reliable.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- mental faculty — A close match for the mind-related sense, though it is slightly more formal and less common in everyday speech.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Other Meanings of Faculty
Meaning 2
the teachers and staff at a school or college
Part of speech: noun
Definition: the body of teachers and administrators at a school
Example: The faculty voted to change the academic calendar.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- staff — Works in some contexts, but it is broader than faculty and may include non-teaching employees.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Faculty Synonyms
Similar Meaning
- mental faculty
the body of teachers and administrators at a school
- staff
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- Do not use faculty to mean a single teacher; it usually refers to the whole teaching body or staff of a school or college.
- Do not confuse faculty with facility, which is a different word with a different meaning.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does faculty mean?
Faculty can mean a natural mental ability, or it can mean the teachers and administrators at a school or college.
What is a synonym for faculty?
For the mental-ability sense, mental faculty is the best match. For the school sense, staff can work in some contexts, though it is broader than faculty.
Is faculty singular or plural?
Faculty is usually treated as a singular noun in this use, though it can refer to a group of people.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
