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

One such is that the particular actuary being relied upon by the captive must be disclosed. —Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025

The model that gave the best results is the same one actuaries use to forecast human mortality and adjust life insurance premiums accordingly. —Bymitch Leslie, science.org, 20 Dec. 2024

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

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