actuary
Americannoun
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Insurance. a person who computes premium rates, dividends, risks, etc., according to probabilities based on statistical records.
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(formerly) a registrar or clerk.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of actuary
First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin āctuārius “shorthand writer, clerk,” variant (with u of the action noun āctus act ) of āctārius ( āct(a) “deeds, documents” + -ārius -ary )
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Explanation
The person who calculates the risks for an insurance company or financial institution is an actuary. An actuary analyzes accident and life expectancy statistics to help the company set the price of insurance coverage. An actuary is a risk-management professional who works with mathematical probabilities and other accounting techniques. The current meaning of the word didn't come into use until 1772, although actuarial science had been in use long before that. (The first acknowledged U.S. actuary was Jacob Shoemaker in 1809.) Before that, the word actuary meant someone who was a registrar or clerk. It derives from the Latin word actuarius, "account-keeper," which in turn came from āctus, "public business."
Vocabulary lists containing actuary
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 14
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Here's Looking at Euclid
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In the Country We Love
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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.
See Examples For:
The exits and other uncertainty have led to insurers’ prioritizing stable profit margins and seeking higher rates, said Jeremy Kush, a consulting actuary at Milliman.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Karen Glenn, Social Security’s chief actuary, has said there are more than 140 different options on the Social Security Administration’s website to address the pending insolvency.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026
Sheri Scott, an actuary from Milliman, told the council that the firm estimated that losses from the Eaton fire ranged from $13.7 billion to $22.8 billion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2025
She made good grades in her business classes and dreamed of becoming an actuary.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2025
The societies have now a registrar, an actuary, a revising barrister and two public valuers.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 2 "French Literature" to "Frost, William" by Various
But even if the projections had been accurate, the actuaries and policymakers in the early 1980s knew that more tax increases or benefit cuts would be needed down the road.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 21, 2026
CMS staff actuaries calculate expected growth rates for costs, and the numbers came in below what many analysts had expected this time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 27, 2026
It should be noted that the “computer or mathematical occupations” category does include some non-tech jobs, notably actuaries.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 25, 2023
Nearly a third of them will suffer brain damage, according to the NFL’s own actuaries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2023
“You are ten years my junior, and insurance actuaries give women longer lives than men when they have attained a certain age.”
From The Bartlett Mystery by Tracy, Louis
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.
