Meaning & use
scientists
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“scientists” is a form of “scientist”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nouncountable
People who study the natural world through observation and experiments, usually as a profession.
Grammar: Plural of scientist: many scientists agree.
Patterns
- scientists at something
- scientists from something
Scientists discovered a new species of frog in the rainforest.
Climate scientists warn that sea levels are rising.
Several scientists from the university worked on the vaccine.
Word forms
| singular | scientist |
|---|
Common combinations
- leading scientists
- Leading scientists signed the open letter.
- scientists warn
- Scientists warn that the glaciers are melting.
- research scientists
- Research scientists spend years testing one idea.
- scientists discover
- Scientists discover new planets every year.
- social scientists
- Social scientists study how people behave in groups.
Synonyms and how they differ
- researchers
- Researchers do systematic study in any subject, not only the natural sciences.
- experts
- Experts have deep knowledge but do not necessarily run experiments.
- academics
- Academics work at universities and may teach arts or law, so the word is wider than scientists.
- scholars
- Scholars usually study humanities or history, whereas scientists study natural phenomena.
Word family
- science noun
- organized study of the natural world
- scientific adjective
- based on science
- scientifically adverb
- in a way based on science
- scientist noun
- one person who studies science
Commonly confused: scientists or engineers?
scientists vs engineers
Engineers apply scientific knowledge to design and build things, while scientists work to discover how the world works.
Practice
A team of ___ spent ten years testing the new medicine in the laboratory.
Choose one answer.
Scientists is the plural noun for people who do science. Scientific is an adjective and cannot name the people.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “scientists”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.