paleontologist
noun
a scientist who specializes in the study of life forms that existed in previous geologic periods, as represented by their fossils.
paleontologists
-
pluralof paleontologist.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
Zhelestids have been known to paleontologists for nearly 40 years, but most discoveries consisted of isolated teeth or incomplete remains.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026
Museum paleontologists excavated some 70% of Thomas’s fossilized skeleton in the early 2000s, making it one of the most complete T. rex specimens ever found.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
Tuesday's purchase by an anonymous buyer highlights a surging market for dinosaur bones -- a trend that has drawn criticism from some paleontologists over the specimens going into private hands.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
The higher prices helped reshape the market, encouraging more fossils to come up for sale while giving commercial paleontologists more resources to fund costly and yearslong digs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
As late as 1988 more than half of all American paleontologists contacted in a survey continued to believe that the extinction of the dinosaurs was in no way related to an asteroid or cometary impact.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
