Meaning & use
sexologist
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Meanings
nouncountablespecialist
a person who scientifically studies human sexual behavior, development and health.
Grammar: A normal countable noun: a sexologist, two sexologists.
Patterns
- a sexologist at somewhere
- a sexologist who studies something
The sexologist presented her research on attitudes among young adults.
A famous sexologist helped change how doctors discussed intimacy.
Universities rarely have a full department led by a sexologist.
nouncountablespecialist
a trained therapist who helps people with sexual or relationship difficulties.
Grammar: Often used for a clinical role: see a sexologist.
Patterns
- see a sexologist
- refer someone to a sexologist
Their doctor referred the couple to a sexologist.
She trained as a sexologist after working as a counselor.
A sexologist can explain which treatments are available.
Word forms
| plural | sexologists |
|---|
Common combinations
- consult a sexologist
- He chose to consult a sexologist about his worries.
- a clinical sexologist
- A clinical sexologist works directly with patients.
- a leading sexologist
- She is a leading sexologist in her country.
- train as a sexologist
- He trained as a sexologist at a medical college.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sex therapist
- A sex therapist focuses on treating patients, while a sexologist may be a researcher with no clinical work.
- sexuality researcher
- This is a descriptive phrase for the research side, whereas sexologist is the established professional title.
- psychologist
- A psychologist covers all mental health, while a sexologist specializes in sexuality.
Word family
Commonly confused: sexologist or gynecologist?
sexologist vs gynecologist
A gynecologist is a doctor for women's reproductive health, not a specialist in the study of sexuality as a whole.
Practice
The couple asked their doctor to recommend a ___ who could talk about intimacy problems.
Choose one answer.
A sexologist specializes in sexuality and related problems. A dermatologist treats skin and a pharmacist supplies medicine, while a geologist studies rocks.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sexologist”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.