historian

noun his·to·ri·an \ hi-ˈstȯr-ē-ən , -ˈstär- \

Updated on: 26 Apr 2018

Definition of historian

1 : a student or writer of history; especially : one who produces a scholarly synthesis

2 : a writer or compiler of a chronicle

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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 of historian from the Web

Academic historians, by contrast, often portray Hitler as a cipher, a nobody.

— naomi fry, The New Yorker, "How American Racism Influenced Hitler," 23 Apr. 2018
Randall, a historian and librarian, is the director of research at the National Association of Scholars, a small higher education advocacy group.

— michael schulson, WIRED, "Science's "Reproducibility Crisis" Is Being Used as Political Ammunition," 20 Apr. 2018
The free series, moderated by local author and historian David Garnes, provides participants an opportunity to learn about upcoming productions, the shows' history, a bit of trivia, and often to meet some of the cast.

— annie gentile, Courant Community, "Lunchtime Lecture Features 'August: Osage County'," 17 Apr. 2018
In the new book Edna Lewis: At the Table with an American Original, chefs, food historians, writers, and others reflect on the life and work of the legendary Edna Lewis, often called the Julia Child of Southern cuisine.

— Southern Living, "A Loving Tribute to a True Southern Food Legend," 13 Apr. 2018
CityLab Historian Nell Irvin Painter’s great second act The scholar and historian, best known for her books, including The History of White People (2010), made a remarkable decision at age 64 to reinvent herself as an artist.

— ellen mcgirt, Fortune, "Counting Down To The Scandal Finale," 13 Apr. 2018
The historian Edward Gibbon, describing the Roman emperor Septimius Severus, argued: The true interest of an absolute monarch generally coincides with that of his people.

— henry farrell, margaret levi, Vox, "Mark Zuckerberg runs a nation-state, and he’s the king," 9 Apr. 2018
Some more superstitious people have even suggested that Julius Caesar's untimely death, which is seen by many historians as the effective end of the Roman Republic, forever cursed the day.

— atlanta life, ajc, "Beware the Ides of March: Why do so many consider the day doomed?," 15 Mar. 2018
Bailey is the proud new owner of a very old home — a 1903 Dutch colonial revival structure known by local historians as the Talbott-Wall House.

— gordon dickson, star-telegram, "Fort Worth's Samuels Avenue is booming, but how much of its past is worth saving? | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 1 Mar. 2018

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