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

That lawsuit was consolidated with an earlier suit filed in February by a group of three veterans and an architectural historian. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 11 Nov. 2026

Today historians of science agree that there were significant differences between Leibniz’s and Newton’s work on calculus, concluding that both scientists had probably arrived at their findings independently of each other. — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2026

Tarantism and the tarantella today These days, most historians and scientists agree that wolf spiders didn’t cause tarantism. — Laura Kiniry, Popular Science, 10 Nov. 2026

As an ecologist, historian, and assistant professor at the University of the Virgin Islands, Olasee helped lead the effort to establish Maroon Sanctuary Territorial Park in 2025. — Jayme Moye, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Nov. 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