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

The company has refused to provide financial records sought by California actuaries attempting to judge the merit of its pending rate hike, including plans to drop another 11,000 policies, according to public rate filing records obtained by The Times. —Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026

Another 10% to 25% of jobs are knowledge-oriented, such as pricing actuaries and medical management clinicians. —Shubham Singhal, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2026

In particular, the fund dedicated to retirement benefits may run out by late 2032, according to the latest estimates from the Social Security Administration's chief actuary. —Lorie Konish, CNBC, 23 Jan. 2026

In doing so, an actuary assigns dollar values to events that might happen once in a decade or once in a century. —Bill Frist, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 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

• 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