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’s a true story, although historians are still debating how many of the sailors died of exposure and how many were actually killed by sharks. — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026

By ratio, the Jim Crow laws led to higher percentages of people being disenfranchised in the United States, according to historian Carole Anderson, who has written extensively about voter suppression of Black communities. — Diaa Hadid, NPR, 21 Oct. 2026

Though historians estimate that at least 10,000 Frankfurt Kitchens were installed beginning in 1926, most have been discarded or remodeled out of existence. — Tara Anne Dalbow, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2026

In the span of a few years, China and the United States have each assembled something future historians might recognize as a new kind of empire. — Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 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