Meaning & use
astrologer
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Meaning
nouncountable
A person who claims that the positions of the stars and planets influence people's lives and who makes predictions from them.
Grammar: Countable: an astrologer reads a birth chart.
Patterns
- consult an astrologer
- an astrologer predicts something
My aunt consults an astrologer before every important decision.
The astrologer studied my birth chart and spoke about my career.
In ancient courts, an astrologer often advised the king on the best day for a battle.
Word forms
| plural | astrologers |
|---|
Common combinations
- consult an astrologer
- Many families still consult an astrologer before choosing a wedding date.
- court astrologer
- The king relied on his court astrologer for advice.
- professional astrologer
- She works as a professional astrologer and writes a weekly column.
- astrologer's chart
- The astrologer's chart showed Mars rising at his birth.
- ancient astrologer
- An ancient astrologer recorded the movements of the planets on clay tablets.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stargazer
- Stargazer is a casual word for anyone who watches the stars and does not imply any belief in prediction.
- soothsayer
- Soothsayer is an older word for anyone who foretells the future by any method, not only from the stars.
- fortune-teller
- Fortune-teller covers many methods such as palms and cards, whereas an astrologer uses the positions of celestial bodies.
- horoscopist
- Horoscopist is a rare, formal word for someone who draws up horoscopes.
Opposites
Word family
- astrology noun
- the belief that celestial positions shape human affairs
- astrological adjective
- relating to astrology
- astrologically adverb
- in a way that relates to astrology
- horoscope noun
- a prediction or chart based on the stars at someone's birth
Commonly confused: astrologer or astronomer?
astrologer vs astronomer
An astronomer scientifically studies stars, planets and space, while an astrologer interprets their supposed effect on human life.
Practice
My cousin asked an ___ to read her birth chart, but her brother, who works at an observatory, said the stars cannot predict her future.
Choose one answer.
An astrologer reads birth charts to make predictions. The brother who studies space at an observatory would be an astronomer, which is the tempting wrong choice.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “astrologer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.