oncologist
Americannoun
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oncologists
plural
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Explanation
An oncologist is a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating different forms of cancer. Hearing that a friend or family member has to visit an oncologist is never good news. Oncology is the medical treatment of cancer, and an oncologist is someone who has trained to practice oncology. Cancer is a disease that involves the abnormal growth of normal cells into masses, or tumors, and the word oncologist includes the prefix onco-, which is used in medical words to mean "tumor." It stems from the Greek root onkos, or "mass."
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:
Martin Rolles, a consultant oncologist with 25 years of experience at the South West Wales Cancer Centre, warned the drugs could interact with proven cancer medication and either make treatment more toxic or less effective.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Dr. Shannon MacDonald, a Massachusetts radiation oncologist and Harvard professor who treats rare pediatric malignancies, sees patients from across the country.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
Her oncologist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center offered to enroll her in Gilead’s clinical trial, and she started treatment the following January.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
"The doctor said I had a mass on my brain and needed to see an oncologist," says Waldner.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 22, 2026
They brought in a specialist called a radiation oncologist to talk Baba into getting radiation treatment.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
She has also published her story – described as "remarkable" by oncologists and other cancer survivors – in a book.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
The therapy remains controversial among mainstream oncologists, in part because there are few rigorous clinical studies evaluating its efficacy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
The constituencies for AI development are oncologists, farmers and educators, not defense contractors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
To highlight these concerns, Dulmage authored a paper in JCO Oncology Practice urging oncologists to discuss hair loss openly with patients and explain how biotin could affect test results.
From Science Daily ● May 7, 2026
According to Howard Jones and other gynecologic oncologists I talked with, the correct diagnosis wouldn’t have changed the way Henrietta’s cancer was treated.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
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.
