dermatologist
Americannoun
-
dermatologists
plural
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of dermatologist
First recorded in 1860–65; dermatolog(y) + -ist
Explanation
The person who examines your moles, acne, and other skin problems is called a dermatologist. Once visited mainly for acne problems, dermatologists have become more important, as skin problems have grown more common with our increased exposure to the sun. You know that an "-logy" at the end of a word means "study" and that "-logist" means "one who studies. In the noun dermatologist, the object being studied is the derma, the Greek word for "skin." (The Greeks also used it to refer to "leather" or "hide," which still works for diehard sun worshipers. And think of elephants being called "pachyderms," with their "thick skin.") Dermatology and dermatologist both appeared in English in the 19th century.
Vocabulary lists containing dermatologist
Body Language: Derm ("Skin")
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carn (flesh), derm (skin), dent (tooth), os (bone)
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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:
Montalbo’s acne cleared up within a year after seeing a dermatologist, but she was still dealing with acne scars.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
As she crossed the border, Anna Klymenko, a dermatologist in Kyiv, saw the locomotive that Russia had destroyed the day before.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
“This is an individual-level based vaccination for somebody’s individual tumor,” said Michael Christopher, a dermatologist in Tucson, Ariz., who specializes in early detection of skin cancer.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Her dermatologist found three more cancerous marks which needed urgent treatment.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
An alarming purple rash on her leg led to a trip to a dermatologist.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
For more serious scarring, dermatologists can recommend more aggressive treatments such as lasers that probe deeper into the skin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Some dermatologists recommend birth control, which can help stabilize hormones, or treatments such as spironolactone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
If you’re heading outside, dermatologists recommend applying sunscreen in addition to SPF cosmetics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
However, dermatologists have told the BBC there have not been clinical trials with large enough sample sizes for long enough periods of time to know the benefits of at-home LED masks.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
They visit plastic surgeons and dermatologists for costly and frequent cosmetic procedures.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
