scientist
noun
scientist
American
[sahy-uhn-tist]
/ ˈsaɪ ən tɪst /
noun
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
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.
It was a bad start to a heat wave that one climate scientist called “mind-bogglingly crazy,” with highs above 95 degrees—4 degrees higher than the previous U.K. record for May.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
Michael Modica of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said, the scientist spotted someone possibly trespassing on his land and called law enforcement.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
She also meets a scientist working to devise a simple diagnostic test that could help many women.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
"This approach will make immunotherapy at McGill University Health Centre faster, safer and more affordable," added Chu-Han Feng, a research scientist at the Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer Institute.
From Science Daily • May 25, 2026
I would become a doctor or a lawyer or a world-famous scientist.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
