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

• 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

In a complaint filed in Miami circuit court Monday, historian and activist Marvin Dunn accused Miami Dade College of violating Florida’s public transparency laws in its quick decision last month to hand over prime downtown real estate to the state. —Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2025

Ryan Murphy makes entertaining television, but the co-creator of Netflix's Monster anthology is no historian. —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 2025

This prompted Professor Walid Khalidi, a renowned historian and custodian of the library who turned 100 last June, to establish Friends of the Khalidi Library. —Ryan Byrnes, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025

Shackleton blamed the sinking of the Endurance on the destruction of its rudder; for more than a century, historians accepted this explanation. —Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for historian

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

Kids Definition

historian

noun

his·​to·​ri·​an his-ˈtōr-ē-ən 

-ˈtȯr-,

-ˈtär-

: a student or writer of history