historian
Americannoun
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an expert in history; authority on history.
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a writer of history; chronicler.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of historian
Explanation
A historian is someone who is an authority on history. Your American History textbook was written by a historian. If you've ever taken a history class, chances are it was taught by a historian — someone who is an expert on history. You don't get to be a historian overnight; most historians have studied history for years and have a Master's or Ph.D. in history. If you want an informed opinion on past elections, wars, disasters, and trends, talk to a historian or read a book by one. Historians are experts on the past.
Vocabulary lists containing historian
"Mysteries of the Ancient Past"
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"The Sword in the Stone" and "Was There a Real King Arthur?"
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Week 5: Into the Past
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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.
The historian Kevin M. Kruse has shown that the rise of religious language reflected domestic political concerns as well.
From Salon • Jun. 29, 2026
Vikings weren’t just “simple, uncivilized, barbaric hordes,” says historian after a huge 1,000-year-old textile production site was discovered.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026
Nonetheless Yale University Press has given the British historian Alec Ryrie a wide berth to write “The World’s Reformation,” a highly readable, sweeping and intrigue-filled story of Protestant missions among non-Europeans between 1560 and 1800.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026
The transplant "is very happy news for the Norwegian royal family and the Kingdom of Norway," said historian and royal commentator Ole-Jørgen Schulsrud-Hansen.
From BBC • Jun. 17, 2026
Not all immigrants believed that was true, but as one historian has written, “Whenever life could hardly be worse at home, they came to believe that life was better in America.”
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
