naturalist

[nach-er-uh-list, nach-ruh-]

noun

1. a person who studies or is an expert in natural history, especially a zoologist or botanist.

2. an adherent of naturalism in literature or art.

naturalist

/ ˈnætʃrəlɪst, -tʃərəl- /

noun

1. a person who is expert or interested in botany or zoology, esp in the field

2. a person who advocates or practises naturalism, esp in art or literature

naturalist

1. A person who specializes in natural history, especially in the study of plants and animals in their natural surroundings.

Other Word Forms

• antinaturalist noun
• nonnaturalist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of naturalist¹

First recorded in 1580–90; natural + -ist

Example Sentences

The RRS Sir David Attenborough, a state-of-the-art ship named after the renowned UK naturalist, will aid research on everything from "hunting underwater tsunamis" to tracking glacier melt and whale populations.

Read more on Barron's

Jane Goodall, the trailblazing naturalist whose intimate observations of chimpanzees in the African wild produced powerful insights that transformed basic conceptions of humankind, has died.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Scientists and amateur naturalists have observed a remarkable range of species not usually widespread in UK waters, including octopus, bluefin tuna and mauve stinger jellyfish.

Read more on BBC

LEE VINING, Calif. — At a trailhead surrounded by sagebrush, a naturalist welcomes a group of visitors to Mono Lake beside a sign that reads “Oasis in the Desert.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

And after a poor year for butterflies in 2024, naturalists say many common species, such as the Large White, also appear to be flourishing this summer.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• biologist 
• botanist 
• conservationist 
• ecologist 
• environmentalist 
• zoologist