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Synonyms

geologist

American  
[jee-ol-uh-jist] / dʒiˈɒl ə dʒɪst /

noun

  • geologists
    plural
  1. a person who specializes in geologic research and study.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of geologist

First recorded in 1785–95; geolog(y) + -ist

Explanation

If you’re fascinated by rocks and spend hours digging for interesting samples in the backyard, you might be a budding geologist, a scientist who studies all things related to the Earth. A geologist is an expert in the field of geology, the study of what the Earth is made of and how it was formed. The woman on TV explaining the history of an active volcano that’s ready to erupt? She’s probably a geologist who specializes in volcanoes. Geologists can specialize in many different aspects of the field, ranging from earthquakes to soil erosion. What they all have in common is that they’re trying to figure out how the Earth works.

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Vocabulary lists containing geologist

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.

See Examples For:

Rick Bass is a writer, a former wildlife biologist and geologist, an environmental activist, and program director for the Montana Project, which helps artists advocate for open space and conservation.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 13, 2026

Mr. DeMis was senior vice president and chief geologist at Goldman Sachs from 2016-17 and runs Rochelle Court, LLC.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 3, 2026

From a science standpoint, "the content of the documents is absolutely incredible", said Francois Kervyn, the museum geologist leading the project, describing decades of painstaking fieldwork carried out in largely unmapped regions.

From Barron's Jul. 3, 2026

The specimen was originally collected on James Ross Island and its discovery was recorded in a field notebook kept by geologist Dr Mike Thomson.

From BBC Jun. 29, 2026

As soon as Charles got to Shrewsbury, he wrote to his friend Charles Lyell, the geologist, in London.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman

Part of the problem, Nadrowski said, is that mining companies are run by geologists.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 14, 2026

But he had ordered the structure built on an unstable foundation, without consulting independent geologists or engineers.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 6, 2026

The archive brings together surveys conducted by Belgian geologists as well as files from mining companies that operated in the vast African country before independence in 1960.

From Barron's Jul. 3, 2026

If that is the case, geologists may need to revisit environments that were previously dismissed as unlikely places to preserve evidence of ancient microbial ecosystems.

From Science Daily Jun. 26, 2026

Upon arrival he discovered that oil-company geologists, the only scientists in the area, believed the Beni was thick with the remains of an unknown civilization.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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