Meaning & use
cosmologist
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Meaning
nouncountablespecialist
A scientist who studies the origin, structure and development of the whole universe, including how it began and how it may end.
Grammar: Countable: a cosmologist, two cosmologists.
Patterns
- a cosmologist at somewhere
- a cosmologist who studies something
The cosmologist explained how galaxies formed after the Big Bang.
Several cosmologists are trying to measure how fast the universe is expanding.
As a young cosmologist, she spent years studying dark matter.
Word forms
| plural | cosmologists |
|---|
Common combinations
- theoretical cosmologist
- The theoretical cosmologist works mostly with equations.
- leading cosmologist
- A leading cosmologist gave the keynote lecture.
- cosmologists believe
- Cosmologists believe the universe began about 14 billion years ago.
- cosmologists estimate
- Cosmologists estimate how much dark matter exists.
- physicist and cosmologist
- He is both a physicist and cosmologist.
Synonyms and how they differ
- astrophysicist
- An astrophysicist applies physics to stars and galaxies, while a cosmologist focuses on the universe as a whole.
- astronomer
- An astronomer observes and records objects in space, whereas a cosmologist studies the big-picture history and structure.
- physicist
- Physicist is a much wider term for scientists of matter and energy, of whom cosmologists are one kind.
Word family
Commonly confused: cosmologist or cosmetologist?
cosmologist vs cosmetologist
A cosmetologist works with hair, skin and makeup; a cosmologist studies the universe.
Practice
Which scientist would most likely study how the universe began and how it has expanded?
Choose one answer.
A cosmologist studies the origin and development of the universe. A cosmetologist is easily confused with it but works in beauty care.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cosmologist”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.