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

Mercer’s chief actuary Sunit Patel estimated GLP-1 use alone accounted for one percentage point of the total increase in health cost growth for 2027. — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2026

David Kornwitz is a pension actuary and has served as Chair of the Wellesley Retirement Board for more than 30 years. — David Kornwitz, Boston Herald, 8 Sep. 2026

After that, the state must perform a financial impact analysis, Mann added, which would be evaluated by the chief actuary at the federal Medicaid agency. — Nathan Ansell, Arkansas Online, 18 Aug. 2026

At public meetings and in letters throughout 2023 and 2024, Medicaid insurers and actuaries warned that Beshear’s decision not to reinstate the spending guardrails sooner had allowed billing abuse by drug treatment providers to proliferate. — Alex Acquisto, ProPublica, 30 July 2026

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

Rhymes for actuary

• abc
• absentee
• addressee
• adoptee
• allottee
• amphorae
• amputee
• apc
• apogee
• appointee
• assessee
• assignee

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