geologist
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of geologist
Explanation
If you’re fascinated by rocks and spend hours digging for interesting samples in the backyard, you might be a budding geologist, a scientist who studies all things related to the Earth. A geologist is an expert in the field of geology, the study of what the Earth is made of and how it was formed. The woman on TV explaining the history of an active volcano that’s ready to erupt? She’s probably a geologist who specializes in volcanoes. Geologists can specialize in many different aspects of the field, ranging from earthquakes to soil erosion. What they all have in common is that they’re trying to figure out how the Earth works.
Vocabulary lists containing geologist
Occupations
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Earth Science - Middle School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Origins of Civilization, Lessons 1–2
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
From a science standpoint, "the content of the documents is absolutely incredible", said Francois Kervyn, the museum geologist leading the project, describing decades of painstaking fieldwork carried out in largely unmapped regions.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
“To a geologist, this is not at all surprising.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
Dr Bretwood Higman, an Alaskan geologist, who saw for himself the damage at Tracy Arm Fjord, said it was "a close call".
From BBC ● May 6, 2026
Toby and Daniel Rice are both Rice Investment operating partners, while their brothers Derek, a geologist, and Ryan, a petroleum reservoir engineer, work on the firm’s technical and administrative team, according to the presentation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026
The theory Hapgood alluded to was one first propounded in 1908 by an amateur American geologist named Frank Bursley Taylor.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
![]()
New research from an international team led by geologists at Utrecht University suggests that these fern-covered regions were highly vulnerable to fire.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
The archive brings together surveys conducted by Belgian geologists as well as files from mining companies that operated in the vast African country before independence in 1960.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
More recently, however, geologists have identified a number of smaller secondary faults connected to the system.
From Science Daily ● May 19, 2026
Ever since British geologists extracted diamonds in the 1930s, the country's mineral wealth has rarely reached ordinary people.
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
And so geologists took every pain they could think of to dismiss his evidence and belittle his suggestions.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
![]()
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.