Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

zoologist

American  
[zoh-ol-uh-jist] / zoʊˈɒl ə dʒɪst /

noun

  • zoologists
    plural
  1. a specialist in zoology.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of zoologist

First recorded in 1655–65; zoolog(y) + -ist


Explanation

A zoologist is a scientist who studies animals. Zoologists are experts on everything about animals, from their cells to the history of their evolution. If you love and are fascinated by animals, you might decide to become a zoologist. Your major in college will probably be zoology, which is a branch of biology focusing on all animals — even those that are extinct. A zoologist may end up doing research, or work as a zookeeper in a zoo. Zoologist shares a root with zoology, the Latin zoologia, which combines the Greek words zoion, "animal," and logia, "study."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing zoologist

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:

Contrary to what some may think, birds cannot always easily flee the dangers of war, zoologist Ewa Wegrzyn, from the Polish University of Rzeszow, said.

From Barron's ● May 20, 2026

Ms. Wimpenny, a British zoologist, aims to rehabilitate creepy-crawlies, predators and even, somewhat, real and presumed disease carriers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

Among them was zoologist Peter Daszak, the president of EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit that managed government grants concerned with potential global pandemic threats.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026

Desmond Morris, the zoologist, author, artist and television presenter, has died aged 98.

From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2026

One of the first to envision such use of microorganisms was the 19th-century zoologist Elie Metchnikoff.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Until the 1960s, Ms. Horn writes, most zoologists had “studied only specimens on cold tables, or broken creatures in shackles or cages.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026

This disconnect has fueled years of debate among zoologists and paleontologists.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 15, 2026

At this stage, co-authors Darya Krupenko and Aleksei Miroliubov, invertebrate zoologists at Saint Petersburg University, suspected this enigmatic conglomerate might be a parasite.

From Science Magazine ● Sep. 21, 2023

After years spent researching the chimpanzees, cognitive zoologists from the University of Lund have now suspended their co-operation with the zoo.

From BBC ● Dec. 16, 2022

In England, if not everywhere, most botanists and zoologists were a muddled lot.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember new words for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com