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

Key Facts On July 1, Centene withdrew its 2025 guidance following an independent actuary’s estimate that the company’s Obamacare revenue assumptions were too high. —Peter Cohan, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025

The doula reimbursement is capped at $1,200 per client, a rate set by an actuary hired by the state of Ohio. —Elizabeth B. Kim, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025

Social Security’s chief actuary calculated, based on the assumptions of the 2024 Trustees Report, the impact of eliminating the earnings limit and subjecting all earnings to the 12.4% payroll tax without offsetting benefit increases for very high income earners. —Christian Weller, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025

One proposal scored by the Social Security Administration’s actuaries found raising the full retirement age to 70 would eliminate 26% of the program’s 75-year shortfall. —Lorie Konish, CNBC, 31 May 2025

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

• antiquary
• bolsheviki
• calliope
• chelicerae
• covenantee
• cruciferae
• diastole
• distributee
• hyperbole
• interviewee
• origami
• phonology

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