mathematician
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of mathematician
First recorded in 1400–50, mathematician is from the late Middle English word mathematicion. See mathematics, -ian
Explanation
Use the noun mathematician when you talk about someone who is highly educated in — and good at — math. Your math teacher might be a great mathematician who's also gifted at explaining math to students. You can call a person who does math for a living a mathematician, like a math professor or someone who works in statistics or as an actuary. Actually, anyone who has great skill at mathematics is also a mathematician, even if they work as a chef or a taxi driver. The word mathematician is rooted in the Greek mathematikos, which means "relating to mathematics, or scientific," or simply "disposed to learn."
Vocabulary lists containing mathematician
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Katherine Johnson (1918–2020) Tribute List
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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.
And you’ll definitely need to sit down if you’re not a mathematician.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026
You may need a Nobel Prize-winning mathematician and a fortune teller to ensure that they each end up with an equal amount.
From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026
Before I weigh in on this as a mathematician, let’s turn back to Stanford.
From Slate • May 25, 2026
The answer came from a concept introduced in the 1940s by mathematician Kurt Otto Friedrichs, who described "mollifiers," tools designed to smooth irregular or noisy functions.
From Science Daily • May 6, 2026
For seven months Dorothy Vaughan had apprenticed as a mathematician, growing more confident with the concepts, the numbers, and the people at Langley.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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.
