sociologist

American  

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

noun

plural

sociologists

1. an expert in sociology.

---

Other Word Forms

• sociologism noun

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

Why has America never had a socialist party, one German sociologist famously asked.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

"Bigfoot exists - at least as a known object that people shape their lives around," said Dr Jamie Lewis, sociologist at Cardiff University.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

That take seems unduly alarmist said David Goldblatt, a British sportswriter and sociologist who is a visiting professor at Pitzer College in Claremont.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

In a 2024 interview with me, sociologist Arlie Hochschild explained this in the context of what she called “a material economy and a pride economy” that exists for poor and working-class voters.

From Salon • Feb. 21, 2026

Mythology, the ancient sociologist would have thought, could not possibly enable millions of strangers to cooperate on a daily basis.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari