ecologist
Americannoun
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a scientist or researcher whose field of study involves the relationships and interactions between organisms and their environment.
Ecosystem ecologists study how nutrients, energy, and water flow through an ecosystem.
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an environmentalist.
Like climate change activists and ecologists around the world, I feel passionately that the issue is crucial to the long-term well-being of the human race.
Etymology
Origin of ecologist
Explanation
An ecologist is a scientist who studies how animals and plants interact with their environment. If you spend hours watching television shows about animals, maybe you’ve got an ecologist inside you trying to get out. To be an ecologist, first you have to learn about ecology — the study of organisms and how they relate to their environment. Ecology is a word that comes from the Greek oikos, meaning “house.” Basically, ecologists study the environment like it’s a big house, and all the living creatures in it are roommates. Sounds like a lot of work, and it is.
Vocabulary lists containing ecologist
Florida EOC Biology 1
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Unit 1: Ecological Systems
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
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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.
We visited the site with Herefordshire ecologist Richard Fishbourne, to see how the restoration project was going.
From BBC • May 26, 2026
Researcher Cameron Egan, an ecologist and professor at USC, will extract DNA from each soil sample and send it for sequencing to learn what species of mycorrhizal fungi are present.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
In 2012, before the A11 bat bridges were built, Altringham and fellow ecologist Anna Berthinussen had tried to assess whether bat crossings in northern England were being used.
From Slate • Apr. 28, 2026
According to study author Dr. Marcell Peters, an animal ecologist at the University of Bremen, rising temperatures could significantly disrupt insect populations, particularly in areas that host the planet's greatest biodiversity.
From Science Daily • Mar. 5, 2026
Roger del Moral, another ecologist, remembered a hike he took only four months after the eruption: “… far from any visible vegetation, I discovered an isolated, yet active ant nest.”
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
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.
