specialist

noun

spe·​cial·​ist ˈspe-sh(ə-)list 

1

: one who specializes in a particular occupation, practice, or field of study

a specialist in disorders of the immune system

a specialist in international law

"What does Dr. James Mortimer, the man of science, ask of Sherlock Holmes, the specialist in crime?"

—Arthur Conan Doyle

2

: an enlisted rank in the U.S. Army corresponding to the grade of corporal

also : any of several former enlisted ranks corresponding to the grades of sergeant through sergeant major

3

: an organism (such as a bird) specialized especially in food or habitat

specialist adjective

or specialistic

ˌspe-shə-ˈli-stik 

Examples of specialist in a Sentence

She consulted a marketing specialist when she decided to go into business.

He saw a specialist for his foot problem.

Recent Examples on the Web

The impasse left thousands of former public employees scrambling to determine whether to ditch the health insurer or risk not being allowed back to visit doctors, specialists and medical teams that some seniors have been seeing for years, if not decades. —Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 6 Nov. 2024

The couple followed up with a specialist who did an amniocentesis. —Angela Andaloro, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024

For instance, combining a hardware vendor’s knowledge of quantum circuits with an algorithm specialist’s ability to optimize complex processes can lead to breakthroughs in resource allocation or risk management. —Yuval Boger, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

In an attempt to capitalize on the visitor numbers, marketing specialist Davide Abagnale originally created an e-commerce site selling Lake Como posters, after seeing so many posters of San Francisco and Los Angeles on his honeymoon in 2022. —Issy Ronald, CNN, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1836, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing specialist

• specialist shop
• sub-specialist

Kids Definition

specialist

noun

spe·​cial·​ist ˈspesh-(ə-)ləst 

1

: a person who studies or works at a special occupation or branch of learning

an eye specialist

2

: an enlisted person in the army with a rank similar to that of corporal

specialist adjective

or specialistic

ˌspesh-ə-ˈlis-tik 

Medical Definition

specialist

noun

spe·​cial·​ist ˈspesh-(ə-)ləst 

: a medical practitioner whose practice is limited to a particular class of patients (as children) or of diseases (as skin diseases) or of technique (as surgery)

especially : a physician who is qualified by advanced training and certification by a specialty examining board to so limit his or her practice