actuary

noun

ac·​tu·​ary ˈak-chə-ˌwer-ē 

-shə-,

-ˌwe-rē-

plural actuaries

1

obsolete : clerk, registrar

2

: a person who calculates insurance and annuity premiums, reserves, and dividends

Examples of actuary in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

According to Social Security’s actuaries, a 65-year old woman can expect to live for an additional 22 years in retirement. —Andrew Biggs, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024

Hospital spending totaled $1.5 trillion in 2023, by far the most of any category of medical care, per federal data analyzed by actuaries at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and published in Health Affairs. —Maya Goldman, Axios, 19 Dec. 2024

The Social Security trust fund used to help pay retirement benefits is projected to run out in 2033, according to the program’s actuaries. —Lorie Konish, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2024

Social Security’s actuaries project the fund the program relies on to pay retirement benefits will be depleted in 2033. —Lorie Konish, CNBC, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin āctuārius "shorthand writer, keeper of accounts," alteration (with -u- from the u-stem action noun āctus) of *āctārius, from āctum "public transaction, record" + -ārius -ary entry 1 — more at act entry 1

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

actuary

noun

ac·​tu·​ary ˈak-chə-ˌwer-ē 

-shə-

plural actuaries

: a person who calculates insurance premiums and dividends

actuarial

ˌak-chə-ˈwer-ē-əl

adjective

Legal Definition

actuary

noun

ac·​tu·​ary ˈak-chə-ˌwer-ē, -shə- 

plural actuaries

: a person who calculates insurance and annuity premiums, reserves, and dividends