historian

noun

his·​to·​ri·​an hi-ˈstȯr-ē-ən 

-ˈstär-

1

: a student or writer of history

especially : one who produces a scholarly synthesis

2

: a writer or compiler of a chronicle

Synonyms of historian

• chronicler

Examples of historian in a Sentence

historians are still trying to sort out fact from fiction in the story of Kateri Tekakwitha, the Lily of the Mohawks

Recent Examples on the Web

Martin Farr, a contemporary historian at Newcastle University, said Farage will probably come out of the election strengthened, at least in the eyes of his supporters. — ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026

The novel, reissued this fall, by McNally Editions, takes the form of a memoir by a German Jewish intellectual historian, exiled to New York. — David Denby, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026

Economic historian Marc Levinson offered up this thesis in book form with An Extraordinary Time, which argued everything following the 1970s in American culture and society has reflected a less innovative, less productive economy. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2026

Working with historian and researcher Giorgos Karelas and information gathered by Dimitrios Giannoulatos, the team studied historical records and charts before narrowing down several possible locations for the wreck. — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 10 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for historian

• chorion
• corean
• dorian
• saurian
• gregorian
• nestorian
• praetorian
• stentorian
• pythagorean
• valedictorian

Kids Definition

historian

noun

his·​to·​ri·​an his-ˈtōr-ē-ən 

-ˈtȯr-, 

-ˈtär-

: a student or writer of history