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

He spent the rest of his life traveling for similar projects and produced a teeming library of naturalist studies.

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He consulted his father-in-law, a naturalist, who broke the news to him: “Ladybugs are like cockroaches, but with better presentation.”

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In 1898 the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace published “The Wonderful Century,” a look back over the preceding hundred years.

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"This transition phase is defined in particular by the tension between the meticulously detailed and naturalist figure" of the prince and the "vibrant, almost expressionist rendering of the background", he added.

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In a video, the naturalist and broadcaster said time was running out to save Rothbury Estate.

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Related Words

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