specialist

[ spesh-uh-list ]

/ ˈspɛʃ ə lɪst /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: specialist / specialists on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who devotes himself or herself to one subject or to one particular branch of a subject or pursuit.

a medical practitioner who devotes attention to a particular class of diseases, patients, etc.

U.S. Army. an enlisted person of one of four grades having technical or administrative duties, the grades corresponding to those of corporal through sergeant first class but not requiring the exercise of command.

Stock Exchange. a member of an exchange who executes orders in his or her name or for other stockbrokers in a single stock or a particular group of stocks and thus helps maintain the market in those securities on that exchange.

QUIZ

ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ

There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!

Question 1 of 7

True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of specialist

First recorded in 1855–60; special + -ist

OTHER WORDS FROM specialist

non·spe·cial·ist, noun, adjectivepre·spe·cial·ist, nounsub·spe·cial·ist, noun

Words nearby specialist

Special Forces, special handling, special interest, special-interest group, specialism, specialist, specialistic, specialist registrar, spécialité de la maison, speciality, specialization

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use specialist in a sentence

To resolve its in-house challenges, the business created a team of dedicated search specialists to work side-by-side with its digital agency, Merkle.
Case study: Schneider Electric’s digital transformation through centralized search|Evan Kent and Kimberly Dutcher|February 11, 2021|Search Engine Watch
More advanced tech tipsHotkeys can also be useful, says Michelle Morgan, a disability specialist at Yale’s Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning.
Online classes are difficult for the hard of hearing. Here’s how to fix that.|Eli Reiter|February 9, 2021|Popular-Science
Some AI specialists have already shown it is possible on a much smaller scale.
AI chat bots can bring you back from the dead, sort of|Dalvin Brown|February 4, 2021|Washington Post
A spokesman for the Army Reserve said Lynam, a medical specialist who joined in 2016, currently holds the rank of private first class in the service.
The Boogaloo Bois Have Guns, Criminal Records and Military Training. Now They Want to Overthrow the Government.|by A.C. Thompson, ProPublica, and Lila Hassan and Karim Hajj, FRONTLINE|February 1, 2021|ProPublica

If that doesn’t help, “you should probably be checking with your doctor or a sleep specialist,” Epstein says.
Nap time is the new coffee break. Here’s how to make the most of it.|Galadriel Watson|February 1, 2021|Washington Post
I knew only that the hit was commissioned; the man who took the contract was a specialist.
A Million Ways to Die in Prison|Daniel Genis|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Renowned livestock specialist and autism advocate Temple Grandin brought her unique intellect and wit to Reddit.
The Most Inspiring Bits of Temple Grandin’s Reddit AMA|Emily Shire|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But at least one American logistics specialist has his doubts about the authenticity of the video's claims.
ISIS Video: America’s Air Dropped Weapons Now in Our Hands|Josh Rogin|October 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Once, seeing Palmer reading Dr. Zhivago, teammate Steve Stone said, "It must be about an elbow specialist."
Will the Real Jim Palmer Please Stand Up|Tom Boswell|September 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Without this specialist 24-hour care Ashya is at risk of additional health complications, which place him at substantial risk.
Desperate Parents Arrested After Fleeing Britain For Other Treatment Options for Son in Europe|Barbie Latza Nadeau|September 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Were it possible to present the subject in detail, it would be tedious and unprofitable to all save the specialist.
The Later Cave-Men|Katharine Elizabeth Dopp
Although a capable specialist, as regards general culture and intelligence Ilia Petrovich had only a mediocre equipment.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky|Modeste Tchaikovsky
The first thing you must do now is to hire a first-class farmer and call in a tree specialist.
The Idyl of Twin Fires|Walter Prichard Eaton
Also, under the instructions of the specialist, they made an attempt to break the child of the "hoodaloo mungie" habit.
Love's Pilgrimage|Upton Sinclair
That is the essential error of the specialist philosopher, the specialist teacher, the specialist publicist.
The New Machiavelli|Herbert George Wells

British Dictionary definitions for specialist

specialist

/ (ˈspɛʃəlɪst) /

noun

a person who specializes in or devotes himself to a particular area of activity, field of research, etc
(as modifier)specialist knowledge

an enlisted rank in the US Army denoting technical qualifications that entitle the holder to a noncommissioned officer's pay

ecology an organism that has special nutritional requirements and lives in a restricted habitat that provides theseCompare generalist

Derived forms of specialist

specialistic, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

specialist

Origin of specialist

OTHER WORDS FROM specialist

Words nearby specialist

Words related to specialist

How to use specialist in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for specialist

Derived forms of specialist