scientist
noun
scientist
American
[sahy-uhn-tist]
/ ˈsaɪ ən tɪst /
noun
scientists
plural
Scientist
1
British
/ ˈsaɪəntɪst /
noun
-
Christian Science Christ as supreme spiritual healer
-
short for Christian Scientist See Christian Scientist
scientist
2
British
/ ˈsaɪəntɪst /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of scientist
Explanation
A scientist is a person with some kind of knowledge or expertise in any of the sciences, like biology or chemistry. See that guy in the white lab coat wearing pocket protectors and experimenting with chemicals? He’s definitely a scientist. The word science comes from the Latin, scientia, which means "knowledge." The sciences are branches of knowledge about the world that derive from repeated experiments. A scientist is any person with an interest in the sciences, from amateurs to professionals. A curious high school student interested in seeing what happens when he slips vinegar into his best friend's can of soda could be considered a kind of scientist!
Vocabulary lists containing scientist
Occupations
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"Hitching a Ride"
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 4
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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:
"We know that heat domes are, of course, a natural part of the climate system," Marc Alessi, a climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said in a briefing.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
“We know that temperatures are warming in the long term, linked to human-caused climate change, and El Niño acts to boost those temperatures temporarily,” climate scientist Zachary Labe of the nonprofit Climate Central said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
"As a scientist, my goal is to identify practical solutions that support pest management while also protecting beneficial insects and the food systems that depend on them."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026
“I followed her because she is a great scientist and a great boss,” Xiao said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
I’m even more curious now who the old scientist was back on Earth, for Crick to know of some special talent.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Jerry Melillo, a Distinguished Scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory, has spent the past 37 years studying heated plots in the Harvard Forest in central Massachusetts.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
One math professor, Misha Rudnev at the University of Bristol, told New Scientist: “This is a problem that I didn’t expect to see solved in my lifetime.”
From Slate ● Jun. 22, 2026
Scientist Alexandra, 32, refuses to download Max "out of contrariness" to its heavy-handed promotion.
From Barron's ● Mar. 23, 2026
Appeared in the February 14, 2026, print edition as 'A Top Drug Scientist Sounds Alarm on FDA'.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026
During recess, when she catches me examining a flower I’d never seen before up close, and I explain I’m counting the stamens, she starts calling me Virginia the Esteemed Scientist.
From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau
It also doesn’t help that when talking about cliffs, scientists tend to speak in averages.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
The conditions the UK is experiencing so far this summer mirror the warnings given by climate scientists that human-induced climate change would lead to more frequent and intense heatwaves, as well as potential summer droughts.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
K2-18b may be silent for now, but scientists are steadily improving their ability to detect even the faintest signs of technology beyond our solar system if they are ever there to be heard.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
But with every dramatic landslide and tragic death along the coast, officials have turned to scientists for help.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
As the training progressed, the team of scientists gradually reduced their contact with Xiang Xiang so he could learn to interact with the wild environment on his own.
From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh
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.
