alumni

USAGE SUMMARY

'alumni' is correct and an acceptable word to use in written English.
It is used to refer to a group of people who have graduated from a particular school or college. For example, "The alumni of the college got together for a reunion."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

In the world of the Bucca alumni, there is little room for revisionism, or reflection.

The Guardian

Even as Idol prepares to say farewell, its enduring effect on the pop culture landscape – and specifically in country music – will be felt for as long as its alumni continue to succeed.

The Guardian - Music

Thankfully she expressed the perfect balance of regret at my leaving and delight at the opportunity that this could present for Soas in engaging their Africa-based alumni and those supporters who felt passionate about the region.

The Guardian

After all, who better to hand out advice than alumni of two of the most sophisticated intelligence agencies on the planet?

The Guardian - Tech

Oxford and Cambridge had 71,000 alumni making donations in the 2014-14 year, more than the combined 63,000 of the remainder of the Russell Group.

The Guardian

We also have to continue engaging our alumni and donors in on and off-line conversations about the critical role of private financial support on campus.

The Guardian

According to Business Insider, actress Rachel McAdams, Sharon Stone and singers Seal and Pink are all McDonald's alumni.

The Guardian - Money

We had formally partnered with four street children charities; Street Action, Retrak, Street Child Africa and Railway Children then Soas alumni and friends of Soas started to make donations towards the charity.

The Guardian

The universities also spent more than £33m on alumni relations as well as a further £7m on publishing magazines for graduates.

The Guardian

The deaths of Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayub al-Masri were a serious blow to Isis, but the roles they had vacated were quickly filled by the alumni of Camp Bucca – whose upper echelons had begun preparing for this moment since their time behind the wire of their jail in southern Iraq.

The Guardian

And most importantly, it has given us a perfect opportunity to reach out to our base of 350,000 living alumni, both through traditional means such as email and the alumni magazine, but also through new means like Twitter.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When writing about "alumni", specify the institution they graduated from to provide context. For example, "The Harvard alumni donated generously to the university."

Common error

Avoid using "alumni" as a singular noun. The singular forms are "alumnus" (male) or "alumna" (female). Use "alumni" only for groups of male, female, or mixed-gender graduates.

Linguistic Context

The word "alumni" functions as a plural noun, typically referring to a group of graduates from a school, college, or university. According to Ludwig, it is a correct and acceptable word in written English.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Formal & Business

30%

Science

15%

Less common in

Academia

5%

Encyclopedias

5%

Wiki

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "alumni" is the plural form of "alumnus" (male) or "alumna" (female), used to describe a group of graduates from an educational institution. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's a grammatically sound and commonly used term across various professional and informal contexts, including news, business, and academic writing. Remember to avoid using it as a singular noun and always specify the institution when relevant. Alternatives like "graduates" or "former students" can be used depending on the specific meaning you wish to convey.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

graduates

Refers specifically to individuals who have successfully completed a course of study and received a degree or diploma.

former students

Emphasizes the past student status of individuals, without necessarily implying graduation.

graduating class

Refers to all the students who graduated in a particular year.

ex-students

Similar to "former students", but can sometimes carry a slightly more informal connotation.

previous graduates

Highlights the fact that the individuals graduated in the past.

past pupils

Commonly used in British English to refer to former students, especially at the primary or secondary school level.

old boys/girls

An informal term, often used in British English, to refer to male/female alumni of a school.

members of the graduating body

A formal way to refer to those who have graduated from a particular institution.

matriculants

Refers to people who have been enrolled in a college or university.

leavers

A general term for students who have left a school or institution, regardless of whether they graduated.

FAQs

How do I use "alumni" in a sentence?

"Alumni" is a plural noun, so it should be used to refer to a group of graduates. For example, "The university hosted a reception for its "alumni"."

What's the singular form of "alumni"?

The singular form is "alumnus" for a male graduate and "alumna" for a female graduate. For example, "He is an "alumnus" of Yale," or "She is an "alumna" of Stanford."

What can I say instead of "alumni"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives such as "graduates", "former students", or "graduating class".

Is it correct to say "alumnis"?

No, "alumnis" is not a correct plural form. The correct plural form is "alumni". "Alumnis" is a common misspelling and should be avoided.