noun
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a shop selling medicines, cosmetics, etc
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a qualified dispenser of prescribed medicines
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a person studying, trained in, or engaged in chemistry
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an obsolete word for alchemist
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of chemist
First recorded in 1555–65; from Greek chēm(ía) (also chēmeía, chymeía ) “art of alloying metals; alchemy” + -ist; replacing chymist, from Medieval Latin alchimista; see alchemist ( def. )
Explanation
A scientist who studies the elements that make up all matter is a chemist. If you enjoy doing experiments that involve mixing substances in test tubes, you'd probably love being a chemist. Chemists practice the science of chemistry, which examines the properties that make up everything in the universe. These working scientists examine the tiniest particles of substances, the atoms and molecules that form the earth, the oceans, and even you, yourself. Chemists also study how elements interact with each other and form new substances; we have chemists to thank for inventing penicillin, plastic, and artificial sweeteners, among many other things.
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:
Ramón Pagán, a cosmetic chemist and independent consultant based in New York City, sees another force helping drive tallow’s popularity: branding.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
In 1871, Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev created the first periodic table by arranging elements according to increasing atomic numbers and intentionally left empty spaces for elements he believed had yet to be found.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
The planet faced a cataclysmic agricultural crisis until the German chemist Fritz Haber discovered a process for cheaply producing nitrogen fertilizer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Anand, who accompanied them, led them to their first stop - a chemist because Anita had developed a migraine headache and wanted to buy a painkiller.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
With the precision of a chemist, Baroness Hoover dropped three cubes of sugar into her tea.
From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood
By changing how chemists think about where and when reaction selectivity is determined, the method could expand the range of molecules that can be connected through electron-transfer chemistry.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
So there was an overnight operation of chemists and first responders sent in to try to get that done, which was attempted even though it put them “in harm’s way,” Covey said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026
Past directors have included physicists, chemists and computer scientists.
From Salon ● May 7, 2026
While computers can scan enormous "chemical spaces," they still struggle to match the strategic judgment of experienced chemists.
From Science Daily ● May 5, 2026
The money flowed from private donors and from government grants, the latter partially the result of contributions by Berkeley chemists and engineers to the American war effort.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
