cryptographer

noun cryp·tog·ra·pher \ krip-ˈtä-grə-fər \

Updated on: 24 Feb 2018

Definition of cryptographer

: a specialist in cryptography: such as

a : a clerk who enciphers and deciphers messages

b : one who devises cryptographic methods or systems

c : cryptanalyst

Recent Examples of cryptographer from the Web

Despite numerous attempts to crack the code by some of the world’s best cryptographers, including Alan Turing and the Bletchley Park team, the contents of the enigmatic book have long remained a mystery.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Artificial Intelligence Takes a Crack at Decoding the Mysterious Voynich Manuscript," 30 Jan. 2018
Kocher, the former Rambus cryptographer who helped discover Spectre, thinks this is just the beginning of the industry's woes.

— the washington post, OregonLive.com, "Engineer fired over memo sues Google, alleging bias against white men," 8 Jan. 2018
It was invented by an anonymous cryptographer using the moniker Tom Elvis Jedusor, the birth name of Voldemort in the French Harry Potter books.

— andrew poelstra, Fortune, "The Technology Behind Bitcoin Could Come in Handy at the SEC," 28 Sep. 2017
The Cambridge spies, including the notorious Kim Philby, would never have been outed if not for the work of cryptographers on the Venona project, who deciphered intercepted Soviet messages.

— WSJ, "Five Best: Joe Navarro," 1 Sep. 2017
WhatsApp has a strong reputation among cryptographers for security, which may have been what drew the attention of Chinese censors.

— keith bradsher, New York Times, "China Blocks WhatsApp, Broadening Online Censorship," 25 Sep. 2017
Suddenly he can’t be beaten at Scrabble, even by his brother Neil, a cryptographer working for the National Security Agency.

— tom shippey, WSJ, "The Best New Science Fiction," 13 Oct. 2017
Finney, a native Californian, was an expert cryptographer whose involvement in the development of bitcoin was vital.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "The Creator of Bitcoin Comes Clean, Only to Disappear Again," 11 Oct. 2017
Japanese code breakers were adept at deciphering American radio traffic, but cryptographers never cracked the Navajo system.

— carl prine, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Miramar Marine museum marks 75th anniversary of Navajo code talkers," 27 Aug. 2017

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