Academic
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: Belonging to an academy or other higher institution of learning. Belonging to the school or philosophy of Plato; as, the academic sect or philosophy. Being scholarly; literary or classical, in distinction from scientific. Conforming to set rules and traditions. Having an aptitude for study. Having no practical importance.
Part of speech: noun
Definition: A member of an academy, college, or university; an academician. A person who attends an academy. One holding the philosophy of Socrates and Plato; a Platonist.
Example sentence: I look at Google and think they have a strong academic culture. Elegant solutions to complex problems.
Theoretical
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: of or pertaining to theoretic studies (abstract, not empirical)
Example sentence: My father was born in Amsterdam in a highly religious family. He was in Amsterdam, and he went into hiding right near where Anne Frank was. He was a theoretical physicist and the last Jew to get a Ph.D. in Amsterdam.