Meaning & use
clarinetist
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Meaning
nouncountable
A musician who plays the clarinet, usually as a trained or professional performer.
Grammar: Countable: one clarinetist, two clarinetists. Use 'a' or 'the' before it when talking about a specific person.
Patterns
- a professional clarinetist
- the principal clarinetist
- play something as a clarinetist
She studied at the conservatory and now works as a clarinetist in a symphony orchestra.
The jazz band's clarinetist took a long, expressive solo.
My cousin is a clarinetist, so she always brings her instrument to family gatherings.
Word forms
| plural | clarinetists |
|---|
Common combinations
- principal clarinetist
- He was appointed principal clarinetist of the city orchestra last season.
- jazz clarinetist
- The festival featured a famous jazz clarinetist from New Orleans.
- a clarinetist in an orchestra
- She has been a clarinetist in the national orchestra for ten years.
- play the clarinet
- He learned to play the clarinet before he became a clarinetist.
Synonyms and how they differ
- clarinet player
- A plain, everyday alternative; 'clarinetist' sounds more formal or professional.
Word family
- clarinet noun
- The woodwind instrument that a clarinetist plays.
Commonly confused: clarinetist or clarinettist?
clarinetist vs clarinettist
The British spelling with double 't' is also correct; American English usually uses one 't'.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
'A clarinetist in an orchestra' is the standard pattern for membership. 'Of' is wrong because it suggests possession, and 'at' or 'on' are not used for belonging to a musical group.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “clarinetist”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.