economist

American  

[ih-kon-uh-mist] / ɪˈkɒn ə mɪst /

noun

1. a specialist in economics.

2. Archaic. a thrifty or frugal person.

---

economist British  

/ ɪˈkɒnəmɪst /

noun

1. a specialist in economics

2. archaic a person who advocates or practises frugality

---

Etymology

Origin of economist

First recorded in 1580–90; econom(y) + -ist

Explanation

The word economist is close to economics, which is the science of money. An economist is a person who practices that science. If your economics course isn't being taught by an economist, the chances are you should switch sections. In the 16th century, the word was used to describe the person who managed the household, which certainly explains courses in "home economics." But the current meaning of economist — a person who studies the flow of cash and credit between people, institutions, banks, etc. — first developed during the 18th century. Perhaps that's no surprise either, as that's when the global economy truly became, well, global.

Example Sentences

Permata Bank chief economist Josua Pardede said an exchange rate of 18,000 was a "psychological threshold" for market investors.

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

“Hiring was more broad-based in May than we’ve seen in the last few years,” said Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP, the U.S.’s largest processor of company payrolls.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 3, 2026

“If you block your data, you only see the list price,” says Ginger Zhe Jin, an economist at the University of Maryland who studies personalized pricing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

"The longer the disruptions last, the larger the economic and social costs become," the group's chief economist Stefano Scarpetta said in the report.

From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026

And the economist says, “Look, the cows in Scotland are brown.”

From "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon