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
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
Michelle Castillo, CNBC, 19 May 2026
The zoo has animal care specialists on around the clock.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 19 May 2026
Andrew Rice, New York Times, 8 May 2026
In April 2026, the Food and Drug Administration announced plans to consider allowing some of them to be made to order at specialist pharmacies after banning them in 2023.
—Flynn McGuire, The Conversation, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for specialist
Noun
The company grew to over 500 employees globally over the past year, including adding a second office in Glilot, Israel, housing software engineers, AI specialists, cybersecurity experts, and DevOps professionals.
—Michelle Castillo, CNBC, 19 May 2026
The zoo has animal care specialists on around the clock.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 19 May 2026
Adjective
As a specialist boat builder for SailGP, Wilson works at the league’s primary production facility in Southampton.
—Andrew Rice, New York Times, 8 May 2026
In April 2026, the Food and Drug Administration announced plans to consider allowing some of them to be made to order at specialist pharmacies after banning them in 2023.
—Flynn McGuire, The Conversation, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for specialist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for specialist
Noun
-
Pharmacists are trusted healthcare professionals trained to screen patients, administer injections and provide vaccines, such as flu and COVID-19 shots.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
-
The professionals who will likely remain indispensable—across cybersecurity, AML and software—are those who can operate above the machine, not alongside it.—
Victor Fang,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
An online portal with information about when books will be released resembles a Wall Street trader’s screen, displaying data, charts and specialized software that tracks the book market.—
Adeel Hassan,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
Cave diving is a highly technical and dangerous activity that requires specialized training, equipment and strict safety protocols.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
Two candidates, a county commissioner and a political consultant, are running in the district’s Republican primary.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 May 2026
-
Gilmore said the city is working with architecture consultants on a long-term modernization plan for Bartle Hall and the Municipal Auditorium.—
Dylan Lysen
May 19,
Kansas City Star,
19 May 2026
Adjective
-
Maldives has extensive water safety protocols and expert divers, Shareef said, noting the archipelago’s ocean territory is around 3,000 times larger than its landmass.—
Laura Sharman,
CNN Money,
17 May 2026
-
For full daily and monthly horoscopes as well as expert readings, see our full Horoscopes experience.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
Tremendously fierce to everyone and everything except each other and their master.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
Now that she’s graduated with her business degree, the mom of four is planning on going back to school for her master’s in the fall.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
19 May 2026
Adjective
-
Republicans said those were only technical fixes.—
Mary Clare Jalonick,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
-
Injuries, new player adaptation and recruitment focusing on technical players while the rest of the league prepared for a fight.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Adjective
-
Walking across shiny, immaculately clean floors into the still room, a tour leads visitors to a room with the immense structures the Bakers use to make their special brand of whiskey.—
Emily M. Olson,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
-
The duo has been known to pull out all the stops for their kids’ special days.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Specialist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/specialist. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
