Meaning & use
gerontologist
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablespecialist
A scientist or expert who studies aging and the physical, mental and social changes that happen as people grow old.
Grammar: Countable person noun: a gerontologist, two gerontologists.
Patterns
- a gerontologist at somewhere
- a gerontologist who studies something
A gerontologist at the university is studying how friendships affect health in old age.
The nursing home hired a gerontologist to plan better activities for residents.
As a gerontologist, she advises cities on making public spaces easier for older people.
Word forms
| plural | gerontologists |
|---|
Common combinations
- consult a gerontologist
- The family consulted a gerontologist about her memory changes.
- a leading gerontologist
- A leading gerontologist spoke at the conference.
- social gerontologist
- A social gerontologist studies how old age affects family life.
- gerontologist and researcher
- She works as a gerontologist and researcher on healthy aging.
- train as a gerontologist
- He trained as a gerontologist after caring for his grandmother.
Synonyms and how they differ
- aging researcher
- This is a plain descriptive phrase, while gerontologist is the formal job title.
- geriatrician
- A geriatrician is a medical doctor who treats elderly patients, whereas a gerontologist may not be a doctor and often studies social aspects of aging.
- elder-care specialist
- Elder-care specialist is broader and focuses on practical care rather than scientific study.
Opposites
Word family
- gerontology noun
- the scientific study of aging
- gerontological adjective
- relating to the study of aging
- geriatric adjective
- relating to the care of old people
- geriatrics noun
- the branch of medicine that treats old people
Commonly confused: gerontologist or geriatrician?
gerontologist vs geriatrician
A geriatrician is a doctor who treats older patients. A gerontologist studies aging more broadly and may not treat anyone.
Practice
Who is most likely to research how loneliness changes as people grow older?
Choose one answer.
A gerontologist studies aging, including social changes. A cardiologist treats heart conditions, so it is too narrow for this question.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gerontologist”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.