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biologist

American  
[bahy-ol-uh-jist] / baɪˈɒl ə dʒɪst /

noun

  • biologists
    plural
  1. a specialist in biology.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of biologist

First recorded in 1805–15; biolog(y) + -ist


Explanation

A biologist is a scientist who focuses on living organisms, including plants and animals. Wildlife biologists might specialize in studying African elephants. Biologists study a wide variety of life forms, from single-celled organisms to primates, and conduct research in many different areas, from the spreading of pathogens to the details of evolution. A marine biologist studies sea creatures and a microbiologist might study algae or bacteria. The word biologist is rooted in the Greek bios, or "life."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing biologist

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:

Lucky for skeptics, Nadira Goffe interviewed a whale biologist about how realistic the film is.

From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2026

"These findings provide the first evidence that psilocybin can selectively reduce escalated aggression in a vertebrate model without suppressing social interaction," added senior author Dr. Suzie Currie, a biologist at The University of British Columbia.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

Dr Martyn Kurr, a marine biologist from Bangor University told BBC News that non-native or "biofouling" species, like the carpet sea squirt, can outcompete native wildlife for valuable nutrients.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

“You’re hitting the ground with the same magnitude of force,” says Dr. Daniel Lieberman, a Harvard evolutionary biologist whose research focuses on how modern footwear has altered human biomechanics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

“What kind of biologist are you?” said Dr. Schultz.

From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien

Only two human deaths have ever been confirmed by biologists.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

University of Oregon biologists have brought prehistoric proteins back to life, reconstructing molecules that date back as far as 160 million years and naturally attack microbes.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026

A team of biologists working in the early morning hours Friday collected the olive ridley sea turtle eggs and transferred them to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, the agencies said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Marine biologists and fisheries scientists believe human influence is the main cause - impact on climate; hydropower systems that eels have to migrate through; pollution and contamination; introduction of exotic parasites; and overfishing.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

As biologists rushed to embrace Mendel’s laws and grapple with their consequences, Galton adopted a rather benign indifference to them.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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