cryptographer

noun

cryp·​tog·​ra·​pher krip-ˈtä-grə-fər How to pronounce cryptographer (audio)
: a specialist in cryptography: such as
a
: a clerk who enciphers and deciphers messages
b
: one who devises cryptographic methods or systems

Examples of cryptographer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For cryptographers, who need to race ahead of quantum computers, the uncertainty is concerning. Kelsey Houston-Edwards, Scientific American, 16 Jan. 2024 Making matters worse, his father was a computer scientist and cryptographer who was the chief scientist at the National Security Agency's National Computer Security Center. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 27 May 2023 Based on the book by Andrew Hodges, the film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the ingenious Alan Turing, a British cryptographer who attempts to crack German intelligence codes while coming to terms with his sexuality. Robert English, EW.com, 27 Oct. 2023 Now, a pair of cryptographers have built a new LLL-style algorithm with a significant boost in efficiency. Madison Goldberg, WIRED, 11 Feb. 2024 To guard against a mathematical breakthrough solving the underlying problem—and breaking the code—cryptographers need access to a variety of algorithm types. Kelsey Houston-Edwards, Scientific American, 16 Jan. 2024 For one, although there is little reason to doubt the security of Messenger’s protocol, Meta has not opened it for outside cryptographers to verify. IEEE Spectrum, 19 Jan. 2024 There was a maxim in cryptography, often referred to as Schneier’s law after the cryptographer Bruce Schneier. Andy Greenberg, Ars Technica, 18 Jan. 2024 But when designing a new algorithm, cryptographers need to balance security with many other concerns, such as the amount of information two computers need to exchange and the difficulty of the computation required to encrypt and decrypt messages. Kelsey Houston-Edwards, Scientific American, 16 Jan. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cryptographer was in 1641

Dictionary Entries Near cryptographer

Cite this Entry

“Cryptographer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cryptographer. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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