Meaning & use
paleontologist
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A scientist who studies fossils to learn about ancient life and the history of the Earth.
Grammar: Countable: a paleontologist, two paleontologists.
Patterns
- a paleontologist studies something
- work as a paleontologist
The paleontologist carefully removed the dinosaur bones from the rock.
She became a paleontologist after visiting a natural history museum as a child.
Paleontologists use fossils to understand how life on Earth has changed.
Word forms
| plural | paleontologists |
|---|
Common combinations
- a leading paleontologist
- She is a leading paleontologist specializing in dinosaurs.
- paleontologist studying fossils
- The paleontologist studying fossils in Montana made an important discovery.
- work as a paleontologist
- He works as a paleontologist for a museum.
- team of paleontologists
- A team of paleontologists excavated the site.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fossil hunter
- Informal and often used for amateurs; 'paleontologist' is the professional term.
Word family
- paleontology noun
- The study of ancient life through fossils.
Commonly confused: paleontologist or archaeologist?
paleontologist vs archaeologist
Archaeologists study past human societies through objects they left behind, while paleontologists study fossils of ancient life, including dinosaurs.
Practice
What is the main focus of a paleontologist?
Choose one answer.
Paleontologists study fossils to understand ancient life. Option A describes historians; C describes geologists; D describes zoologists.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “paleontologist”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.