specialist 1 of 2

noun

Definition of specialistnext
as in professional
a person who has a lot of training, knowledge, or skill in a particular area She was a specialist in chemical engineering with many years of experience.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

specialist

2 of 2

adjective

variants or specialistic
as in specialized
involving, related to, or being special skills or knowledge needed to do a particular job The job requires specialist knowledge.

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of specialist
Noun
Trying to coordinate 11 different specialists and all the care that goes into caring for these kids. — Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 20 July 2026 Those compact, quick shooting mechanics have been mostly used as a catch-and-shoot specialist in the corners and on the wing, exactly the kind of attempts he’ll be asked to take next to Steph Curry and De’Anthony Melton. — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 19 July 2026
Adjective
And Apple offers kits for user battery replacements — and super specialist tools are not required. — Andrew Williams, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026 That more goals are scored with regular penalties than in shootouts is quite common, probably a result of more specialist penalty takers taking regular penalties, and higher pressure on each kicker in shootouts. — Geir Jordet, New York Times, 15 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for specialist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for specialist
  1. professional
  2. specialized
  3. consultant
  4. expert
  5. master
  6. technical
  7. special
Noun
  • More than just a database, the MLS is the technology real estate professionals rely on to discover new listings, match buyers with homes, and share accurate property information.
    — Heartland MLS®, Kansas City Star, 22 July 2026
  • And the startup couldn’t quite crack the market for professionals like marketers and salespeople because it wasn’t connected to their data and did not have the context needed to make good presentations.
    — Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of professional
Adjective
  • Adding a human to a cockpit requires many more millions of dollars in cost, including small items such as the explosive bolts needed to launch ejector seats and specialized helmets.
    — Phillips Payson O’Brien, The Atlantic, 18 July 2026
  • The partnership brings together two specialized manufacturing approaches as the companies pursue opportunities in research, development, process advancement and commercialization of advanced composite solutions, the press release concludes.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 18 July 2026
Definition of specialized
Noun
  • North Texas Histories/Historias de North Texas, a team of consultants, will work with the design team to have a prototype of the exhibition displays ready for community input by next summer.
    — Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 July 2026
  • These contracts do not represent all consultant contracts CMS has, and the Observer has submitted public records requests that haven’t been filled for other deals.
    — Josh Bergeron, Charlotte Observer, 23 July 2026
Definition of consultant
Adjective
  • That’s where the money is these days, and only the most expert studio rats—say, Nine Inch Nails, Tame Impala, or Steely Dan—have been able to reverse-engineer careers into polished touring acts.
    — Patrick Lyons, Pitchfork, 16 July 2026
  • For full daily and monthly horoscopes as well as expert readings, see our full Horoscopes experience.
    — USA TODAY, USA Today, 10 July 2026
Definition of expert
Noun
  • Neal received his master’s in computer science from Stanford in 2016, and less than a year later launched Curai.
    — Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • Mack has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from the Catholic University of America and a doctorate in education from the University of Miami.
    — Ana Goñi-Lessan, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026
Definition of master
Adjective
  • Clark assessed sixth technical Clark was assessed a technical foul in the first quarter and now has six technical fouls this season.
    — James Boyd, New York Times, 19 July 2026
  • While technical climbing experience isn’t mandatory to reach the summit, the mountain is also not to be trifled with.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 July 2026
Definition of technical
Adjective
  • The White House Correspondents' Association presented a special award, the President's Award for Exceptional Service, to Gonzales and the staff of the Washington Hilton during Friday night's dinner.
    — Fritz Farrow, ABC News, 25 July 2026
  • Aside from firearm education and training, Valkyrie plans to offer a host of special events, courses and instructors, the pair said.
    — Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 25 July 2026
Definition of special

Browse Nearby Words

specialisms
specialist
specialists
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Specialist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/specialist. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on specialist

Nglish: Translation of specialist for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All