microbiologist

American  

[mahy-kroh-baee-ah-luhj-ist] / ˌmaɪ kroʊ baiˈɑ lədʒ ɪst /

noun

1. a specialist in or student of microbiology.

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Explanation

Do you love examining tiny things through a microscope? Maybe you should consider being a microbiologist! A microbiologist is a scientist who studies very small organisms. These scientists study microscopic organisms including fungi, algae, the tiny flora that live in your digestive system, and viruses that make people sick. A microbiologist might work to identify bacteria that cause disease or ensure the food supply is free of harmful microorganisms. The word microbiologist, like biologist, is rooted in the Greek word for "life," bios, with the addition of the prefix micro-, "small."

Example Sentences

In the case of a global pandemic “where the whole population gets infected, basically you have a denominator of 7 billion people,” said Dr. Stanley Perlman, a University of Iowa microbiologist who studies coronaviruses.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2026

One of them, a 69-year-old retired pharmaceutical microbiologist from Maryland named Robert Gerber, told me he once sold Florsheims at a suburban mall while attending college at Drexel University.

From Slate • Jun. 5, 2026

Labour MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey Kevin McKenna, a microbiologist, said he was "deeply concerned" and called for the Environment Agency to start an "urgent investigation".

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

In 1980, he married a microbiologist, Georgia Barnett, whom he met at the National Cancer Institute, where he was senior investigator for the dermatology branch.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

But a bearded Russian named Alex Goldfarb, a rumpled-looking microbiologist, leaned over his microphone and, in his accented English, startled everyone by saying, “So, Russia is a TB nightmare.”

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French