faculty

/ˈfæklti/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfæklti/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfa-kəl-tē/ (ame, mw)

faculty — noun

  • facultysingular
  • facultiesplural

1. Any of the basic mental or physical powers that all humans are born with — for e

1.名詞B1
釋義

Any of the basic mental or physical powers that all humans are born with — for example, the capacity to see, hear, reason, or remember things.

例句

After the stroke, Paloma struggled to regain her mental faculties.

collocation: mental faculties

As people age, their faculty of memory may start to weaken.

faculty of [mental power]

同義詞
  • ability

    broader term covering both natural and learned capabilities; less specific than faculty

  • capacity

    emphasises the potential or maximum limit of a faculty

  • power

    more general; can refer to physical as well as mental strengths

用法筆記

Often used in the plural (faculties) to refer to a person's mental powers in general. Frequently paired with adjectives like mental, reasoning, or critical.

常見錯誤

❌He lost his faculty to walk after the accident.
✅He lost the ability to walk after the accident.
💡'faculty' in this sense refers to mental or sensory powers (sight, hearing, reason), not physical actions like walking.

2. A natural talent or skill that allows someone to perform well in a specific area

2.名詞B1
釋義

A natural talent or skill that allows someone to perform well in a specific area, such as learning languages, making decisions, or teaching.

例句

Mayumi has a remarkable faculty for learning foreign languages quickly.

faculty for [activity]

Baraka's faculty for teaching made him one of the most respected professors at the school.

同義詞
  • talent

    more common in everyday English; implies a natural ability that can be developed further

  • gift

    suggests an ability seems to come naturally, almost as if given from birth

  • aptitude

    focuses on the potential to learn or do something well, often measured by tests

反義詞
  • weakness

    an area in which someone performs poorly

用法筆記

Always followed by 'for + noun/gerund' when specifying the area of talent. More formal and less common in everyday speech than talent or gift.

常見錯誤

❌She has a faculty of playing the piano.
✅She has a faculty for playing the piano.
💡the correct preposition after faculty in this sense is 'for', not 'of'.

3. Everyone who works as a teacher or academic administrator at an educational inst

3.名詞B2
釋義

Everyone who works as a teacher or academic administrator at an educational institution, regarded as a single body.

例句

The faculty met to discuss changes to the curriculum for next year.

the faculty met to [do something]

Zuri was excited to join the faculty at the university's business school.

同義詞
  • teaching staff

    more formal; used in both UK and US contexts

  • academic staff

    preferred term in British universities

  • staff

    broader term that may include non-teaching employees

用法筆記

In American English, faculty can refer to teachers at both universities and high schools. In British English, it is used mainly at the university level and often pairs with 'staff' (academic staff vs. faculty). Countable as a group noun: takes a singular verb.

常見錯誤

❌The faculty are meeting in different rooms.
✅The faculty is meeting in the main hall.
💡when faculty refers to the group as a whole, use a singular verb. When referring to individual members acting separately, a plural verb is acceptable.

4. A major division within a university that groups together several smaller depart

4.名詞B2
釋義

A major division within a university that groups together several smaller departments covering a connected field of study.

例句

The Faculty of Engineering has more than fifty research laboratories.

Faculty of [subject area]

Lan applied for a position in the Faculty of Law at National Taiwan University.

同義詞
  • school

    used interchangeably in many universities (School of Law vs. Faculty of Law); school may sometimes be smaller

  • division

    more general term; less common in actual university naming

  • college

    at some universities, a college is larger than a faculty (e.g. University of London has colleges that contain faculties)

用法筆記

Always capitalised when it forms part of a proper name (Faculty of Arts). A faculty typically contains several departments; for example, a Faculty of Science may include departments of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. In British universities, the head of a faculty is called a dean.

常見錯誤

❌I am studying in the Faculty of the Law.
✅I am studying in the Faculty of Law.
💡no article 'the' before the subject name in a faculty title.