SKIP TO CONTENT

sociologist

/soʊʃiˈɑlədʒɪst/
/səʊʃiˈɒlədʒɪst/
IPA guide

Other forms: sociologists

A sociologist studies how people act within societies and other groups. If you're interested in issues like gender roles, crime, or the way families interact, you might want to be a sociologist.

Sociology is a social science that examines the way people work in groups, and sociologists are scientists who practice sociology. Any topic that's connected to society falls under a sociologist's expertise, including social class, family structures, religious customs, war and conflict, and much more. The word sociologist comes from sociology and its Latin root socius, "associate."

Definitions of sociologist
  1. noun
    a social scientist who studies the institutions and development of human society
    see moresee less
    examples:
    Emile Durkheim
    French sociologist and first professor of sociology at the Sorbonne (1858-1917)
    Francois Marie Charles Fourier
    French sociologist and reformer who hoped to achieve universal harmony by reorganizing society (1772-1837)
    Robert King Merton
    United States sociologist (1910-2003)
    Vilfredo Pareto
    Italian sociologist and economist whose theories influenced the development of fascism in Italy (1848-1923)
    Talcott Parsons
    United States sociologist (1902-1979)
    David Riesman Jr.
    United States sociologist (1909-2002)
    Herbert Spencer
    English philosopher and sociologist who applied the theory of natural selection to human societies (1820-1903)
    William Graham Sumner
    United States sociologist (1840-1910)
    First Baron Passfield
    English sociologist and economist and a central member of the Fabian Society (1859-1947)
    Max Weber
    German sociologist and pioneer of the analytic method in sociology (1864-1920)
    types:
    demographer, demographist, population scientist
    a scientist who studies the growth and density of populations and their vital statistics
    psephologist
    a sociologist who studies election trends
    type of:
    social scientist
    someone expert in the study of human society and its personal relationships
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago

Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘sociologist'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family