actuary

noun

ac·​tu·​ary ˈak-chə-ˌwer-ē How to pronounce actuary (audio)
-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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 The actuaries concluded both that State Farm had exaggerated the financial strain and that the rate increase was not justified, Ms. Balber said. Rukmini Callimachi, New York Times, 14 May 2025 The Social Security Administration had said the change to that full recovery rate would generate about $7 billion in program savings in the next decade, based on estimates from the chief actuary. Lorie Konish, CNBC, 5 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for actuary

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of actuary was in 1570

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Cite this Entry

“Actuary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/actuary. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

actuary

noun
ac·​tu·​ary ˈak-chə-ˌwer-ē How to pronounce actuary (audio)
-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- How to pronounce actuary (audio)
plural actuaries
: a person who calculates insurance and annuity premiums, reserves, and dividends

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