astrophysicist
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Explanation
An astrophysicist is a scientist who specializes in studying space, stars, planets, and the universe. If you want to be an astrophysicist one day, you'll have to pay close attention in your physics class. Today the terms astrophysicist and astronomer tend to be used interchangeably — if you make a career of being an expert on space, you'll need to know a lot about the physics of celestial bodies. The prefix astro- comes from the Greek word astron, "the stars," and physicist is rooted in physics, or "natural science," from ta physika, "the natural things" in Greek.
Vocabulary lists containing astrophysicist
Words from "The Avengers"
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astro, aster
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Astrophysicist Grillmair was born in Alberta, Canada, and earned a doctorate from Australian National University.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
Astrophysicist David Gerdes was five years old when Armstrong walked on the moon.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
Astrophysicist and Star Trek science advisor Erin MacDonald says that she often uses Star Trek: Voyager, which aired from 1995 to 2001, to explain scientific concepts, like how gravity distorts spacetime, to convention audiences.
From National Geographic • Dec. 29, 2023
Astrophysicist Martin Elvis of Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics has been highlighting the issue.
From Science Magazine • Nov. 23, 2023
Astrophysicist Dr. Donald Menzel, in a book entitled Flying Saucers, says they saw a refracted image of their own balloon caused by an atmospheric phenomenon.
From The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects by Ruppelt, Edward J.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
