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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

“One of the biggest concerns for families living with peanut allergy is the fear of accidental exposure,” said Westmead Children’s Hospital allergist Dr Lara Ford.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2024

Devised by American paediatric allergist Benjamin Feingold, the diet is extremely restrictive.

From Salon ● May 28, 2024

By their constant contact with the chemicals these men keep themselves desensitized — as an allergist keeps his patients desensitized by repeated small injections of the allergen.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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

"It's an easy drug regimen to implement in a medical practice, and many allergists are already using this for other allergic conditions."

From Science Daily ● Feb. 25, 2024

Some allergists worry that direct-to-consumer companies hasten a broader trend: the decline of the practitioner-patient relationship.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2023

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