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
Employees will continue to need primary-care physicians, specialists, hospitals, diagnostic services and other forms of in-person care. — Soniya Bopache, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026 The study took place at three specialized centers with regular support from physicians, dietitians and exercise specialists. — Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2026
Adjective
All the pieces are made in specialist workshops in France, Spain and Italy. — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 4 Nov. 2026 Honda The final clue to the RN0’s real purpose is that it won’t be found in specialist bike shops. — New Atlas, 3 Nov. 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
  • The production brings together more than 30 creative professionals whose work has been recognized by the Golden Horse, Golden Bell and Golden Melody awards, as well as international festivals.
    — Lin Ying-Hsuan, Variety, 8 Nov. 2026
  • That would help HBCUs tell their stories, train media professionals and gain a voice in decisions affecting their future.
    — Lamell J. McMorris, New York Daily News, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of professional
Adjective
  • Collecting and transporting wet, smelly food waste also requires specialized logistics and infrastructure that many countries lack.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Nov. 2026
  • The search involved boat, ground and air crews, specialized dive teams and underwater drones.
    — Ashley Paul, CBS News, 12 Nov. 2026
Definition of specialized
Noun
  • Many male Followers work as contractors, electricians and plumbers; Marshall works as a consultant for a heating and air conditioning company.
    — Noelle Crombie, ProPublica, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Among the aggravating factors was the fact that the company later rehired as a mine safety consultant one of its employees who allegedly obstructed the government.
    — Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of consultant
Adjective
  • Rather than taking advantage of the expert's knowledge, agents tended to compromise between expert and non-expert opinions.
    — Trevor Laurence Jockims, CNBC, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Watson reminded the jury that Martin was paid by the defense team for his testimony and that his expert opinion was given without the benefit of the cell phone data police relied on.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of expert
Noun
  • The votes advanced a master funding agreement for the project and the expansion of a special financing district — which currently includes just the soccer stadium area — to cover most of the land in the 240-acre Railyards.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 11 Nov. 2026
  • In the decade since, UH has been mostly irrelevant, going through two different coaches and one bad extension before hiring Fritz, who has been a master program builder at every stop and every level.
    — Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of master
Adjective
  • The technical issues with other Microsoft 365 services, such as Teams, AI assistant Copilot and Outlook, continued well into the night.
    — Brittney Ermon, CBS News, 13 Nov. 2026
  • The room tour was thorough but not intrusive, and there was no great difficulty working the lights or other technical components.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Nov. 2026
Definition of technical
Adjective
  • When a crisis happens, compassion should already be part of the culture, not a special accommodation.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 12 Nov. 2026
  • Of course, the Hawks offense and special teams need work too.
    — Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 12 Nov. 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 15 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of lissome

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All