behaviorist

noun be·hav·ior·ist \ -vyə-rist \

|Updated on: 9 Jun 2018

Definition of behaviorist

1 : a person who advocates or practices behaviorism

2 : a person who specializes in the study of behavior

an animal behaviorist

—

behaviorist

adjective

Recent Examples of behaviorist from the Web

Static buildup in their fur is another likely explanation, says Nicholas Dodman, a veterinary behaviorist at Tufts University and chief scientific officer at the Center for Canine Behavior Studies.

— National Geographic, "Why Your Dog Freaks Out During Thunderstorms—And What to Do," 28 Apr. 2018
Geller sits on the board of directors at Cat Connection in Waltham and volunteers as a behaviorist for shelters in Brimfield, Medfield, and Hopkinton.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Even the naughtiest cat listens to this whisperer," 23 Mar. 2018
Here Comes the Groom All cat species, wild or not, get hairballs, Letitia Fanucchi, an animal behaviorist at Washington State University, says via email.

— National Geographic, "Do Big Cats Get Hairballs?," 17 Mar. 2018
Jonathan Balcombe Jonathan Balcombe is an animal behaviorist and author.

— jonathan balcombe, Scientific American, "Fishes Use Problem-Solving and Invent Tools," 1 May 2017
The unnamed 22-year-old woman died on Tuesday at a tented camp in the Dinokeng Game Reserve near the capital Pretoria, where animal behaviorist Kevin Richardson keeps a number of the big cats.

— jane onyanga-omara, USA TODAY, "Lion kills woman at refuge of South African ‘lion whisperer’," 28 Feb. 2018
Patricia McConnell, an animal behaviorist and livestock producer in western Dane County, said the bill would open Wisconsin to irresponsible game management.

— paul a. smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Smith: Wolf poaching bill deserves to be buried," 10 Jan. 2018
There are not many veterinary behaviorists in the U.S., but there is a great one in Austin.

— cathy m. rosenthal, San Antonio Express-News, "Sudden aggressiveness in dogs could be medical issue," 16 Feb. 2018
For the most part, those who have 20 or more dogs in their yard understand canines far better than dog behaviorists.

— john schandelmeier, Alaska Dispatch News, "Mushing has a PR problem, but who will be its voice?," 21 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'behaviorist.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of behaviorist

1913

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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Medical Dictionary

behaviorist

noun be·hav·ior·ist

variants: or chiefly British behaviourist play \-rəst\

medical Definition of behaviorist

1 : a person who advocates or practices behaviorism

2 : a person who specializes in the study of behavior

Animal behaviorists are often consulted regarding such problems as aggression, self-mutilation, food aversion and inappropriate urination or defecation.
—Tom Ewing, Dog Watch, January 2009