sociologist

American  

[soh-see-ahl-uhj-ist, soh-shee-ahl-uhj-ist] / ˌsoʊ siˈɑl ədʒ ɪst, ˌsoʊ ʃiˈɑl ədʒ ɪst /

noun

• sociologists
  plural

1. an expert in sociology.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sociologism
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sociologists
  plural

Explanation

A sociologist studies how people act within societies and other groups. If you're interested in issues like gender roles, crime, or the way families interact, you might want to be a sociologist. Sociology is a social science that examines the way people work in groups, and sociologists are scientists who practice sociology. Any topic that's connected to society falls under a sociologist's expertise, including social class, family structures, religious customs, war and conflict, and much more. The word sociologist comes from sociology and its Latin root socius, "associate."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sociologist sociologists

Lior Yohanani, a sociologist at Tel Aviv University who studies diaspora military service, says the profile of recruits is shifting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

The internet was rife with what sociologist Ray Oldenburg called “third places,” a space separate from home and work that encouraged social interaction and bred cohesion in communities.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

It also runs counter to a long history of immigration in Argentina, which has one of the world's most lenient constitutions in this regard, according to sociologist Ivan Schuliaquer.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

Musa al-Gharbi, a sociologist at Stony Brook University, tells the story of a professor at Columbia University who assigned the children’s board book, “Anti-Racist Baby,” in an introductory sociology class.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

This project was conceived one hot weekend in the Berkshires, where Soma was visiting an old friend, a University of Pennsylvania sociologist named Frank Furstenberg.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

She believes that sociologists, as a body, should remain neutral.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

Other sociologists say the impulse toward activism is compromising not only the aim and use of sociological research, but the quality of the research itself.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

As sociologists and other experts have repeatedly demonstrated, a person is not poor because they are Black or brown.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

New research by the Protest Project, led by sociologists Dana Fisher and Arman Azedi, suggests that No Kings is having a positive effect on encouraging political engagement, efficacy and momentum among participants.

From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2026

The new aristocracy was made up for the most part of bureaucrats, scientists, technicians, trade-union organizers, publicity experts, sociologists, teachers, journalists, and professional politicians.

From "1984" by George Orwell