alpinist
Americannoun
-
a mountain climber, especially in the Alps.
-
a downhill skier, especially one engaging in competitive slalom and downhill events.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of alpinist
From the French word alpiniste, dating back to 1880–85. See alpine, -ist
Explanation
If you're a serious mountain climber, you can call yourself an alpinist. A leisurely hike won't earn you the title of alpinist. Climbing Mount Everest? That's another story. As opposed to a casual climber of relatively low-altitude mountains, an alpinist is extremely serious about his or her climbing. If your sister is an alpinist, she probably sets her sights on extremely high mountains, like those in the Andes, the Himalayas, or the Alps. In fact, the Alps, which lie within the boundaries of Europe, are the inspiration for the word alpinist, which specifies a climber of high, long-ranging, and ice-covered mountain ranges like the Alps themselves.
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.
"If you are only interested in the height of the peak then there are limited mountains to climb," French alpinist and veteran expedition leader Paulo Grobel told AFP.
From Barron's • Oct. 21, 2025
Ms Manners is an alpinist, a mountain climber who specialises in difficult climbs, and now lives in Chamonix, France.
From BBC • Oct. 6, 2024
Another Australian alpinist, Daniel Trevena, has been coming to the region for over 10 years.
From Reuters • Aug. 23, 2023
In 2018, he became a sponsored athlete for The North Face, which connected him with famed alpinist Conrad Anker, who became a mentor.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 15, 2022
Stump, an alpinist of world renown who died on Denali in 1992, had just completed a difficult new route on a nearby peak, the Mooses Tooth.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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.
