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allergist

American  
[al-er-jist] / ˈæl ər dʒɪst /

noun

allergists plural
  1. a physician specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of allergies.


allergist British  
/ ˈælədʒɪst /

noun

  1. a physician skilled in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases or conditions caused by allergy

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of allergist

First recorded in 1930–35; allerg(y) + -ist

Explanation

An allergist is a doctor whose specialty is allergies. If you suspect that your cat is making you sneeze uncontrollably, you might want to see an allergist. Allergists can diagnose allergies, perform tests to find out exactly what patients are allergic to, and prescribe medication to treat the symptoms of those allergies. It takes extra years of study to specialize in this field and become an allergist. The word comes from allergy, by way of the German Allergie, coined by an Austrian doctor from the Greek roots allos, "other, different, or strange," and ergon, "activity."

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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:

Some people generate antibodies to alpha-gal but never develop an allergy to red meat, says Dr. Jeffrey Wilson, an allergist and associate professor of medicine at University of Virginia’s asthma, allergy and immunology division.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 25, 2026

“What I was surprised by was the magnitude of the results,” said Dr. David Hill, an attending allergist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and senior author of the study.

From Los Angeles Times Oct. 20, 2025

“There’s nothing I can afford,” said Dr. Barba, an allergist who has been working 100 hours overtime every month to save up a nest egg.

From New York Times Apr. 21, 2024

And responding to Witherspoon's post, Dr Zachary Rubin - a paediatric allergist based in Illinois - said simply: "This is not a big deal."

From BBC Jan. 22, 2024

After that there’s a single visit to an allergist and then visits to three different immunologists.

From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon

Dr Douglas Jones is co-founder of the Food Allergy Support Team, a nonprofit collaborative of hundreds of allergists across the UK, Europe and further afield.

From BBC Jun. 13, 2026

The reductions in diagnoses were found even though only about 29% of pediatricians and 65% of allergists reported following the expanded guidance issued in 2017, surveys found.

From Los Angeles Times Oct. 20, 2025

Dr. Nana Mireku is an allergist in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and said “people are pretty miserable right now and allergists are pretty busy.”

From Seattle Times Mar. 22, 2024

Ultimately, the trial highlights an alternative that allergists should now consider for patients who cannot safely undertake oral immunotherapy.

From Science Daily Feb. 28, 2024

The company alleged that allergists who decried UAS practices were restricting the market and limiting patient access to allergen immunotherapy.

From Salon Aug. 15, 2023

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