cryptanalyst

noun

crypt·​an·​a·​lyst krip-ˈta-nə-list How to pronounce cryptanalyst (audio)
: a specialist in cryptanalysis

Examples of cryptanalyst in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Ocean Exploration Trust, NOAA Japan had hoped to defeat the U.S. Pacific Fleet, but the U.S. had advance notice of the Midway attack because Navy cryptanalysts had begun breaking Japanese communication codes in early 1942, according to the museum. Stephen Smith, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2023 Playing famous British cryptanalyst Alan Turing, Benedict Cumberbatch takes on one of his greatest roles yet, a mercurial and arrogant mathematician who helped the Allies decrypt Soviet Union messages during World War II. Keith Nelson, Men's Health, 27 July 2023 Red has a copy of the poem because Kendall foolishly paid a cryptanalyst to look it over. Tanya Melendez, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2023 Mundy, a former Washington Post reporter and New York Times best-selling author, mentioned Nye's cryptanalyst mother Jacqueline Jenkins-Nye in her book Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II. Lanford Beard, PEOPLE.com, 22 June 2022 Moody stayed with the SIS, as a staff cryptanalyst focused on signals collection in Eastern Europe. Susan Seubert, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Feb. 2021 It’s the fascinating story of cryptanalyst Elizebeth Smith Friedman, who took down gangsters and Nazis and laid the foundation for modern codebreaking. Tribune News Service, cleveland, 10 Jan. 2021 And even though its also rare to find a statue of a male cryptanalyst, there are plenty of World War II soldiers valorized for their bravery with a monument. Liza Mundy, Smithsonian, 1 Mar. 2018 Agnes Meyer was a brilliant young teacher who would become one of the great cryptanalysts of all time. Born in 1889 in Illinois, Meyer studied mathematics, music, physics, and foreign languages. Liza Mundy, Slate Magazine, 10 Oct. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cryptanalyst.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

crypt- + analyst

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cryptanalyst was in 1921

Dictionary Entries Near cryptanalyst

Cite this Entry

“Cryptanalyst.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cryptanalyst. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

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