specialist

/ˈspɛʃ(ə)ləst/

/ˈspɛʃəlɪst/

Other forms: specialists

A specialist has an area of expertise in a profession or branch of learning. Call an ear, nose, and throat specialist if you can’t shake a stuffy nose, but go to a Shakespeare specialist to learn about King Lear.

Specialist started off as a word used just for doctors who focused particular diseases or parts of the body, but now a specialist can be someone with a narrow focus in any field. A specialist is any professional with a specialty — lawyers are specialists because each lawyer deals with a specific kind of legal work. To be a specialist you have to study or get experience in a specific field for a long time.

Definitions of specialist

1. noun

   an expert who is devoted to one occupation or branch of learning
   synonyms: specialiser, specializer

   antonyms:

   generalist

   a modern scholar who is in a position to acquire more than superficial knowledge about many different interests

   types:

   enologist, fermentologist, oenologist

   a specialist in wine making

   attache

   a specialist assigned to the staff of a diplomatic mission

   canonist

   a specialist in canon law

   criminologist

   a specialist in criminology

   crystallographer

   a specialist in crystallography

   dietician, dietitian, nutritionist

   a specialist in the study of food, nourishment, and health

   educationalist, educationist

   a specialist in the theory of education

   fingerprint expert, fingerprint man, fingerprint specialist

   a specialist in identifying fingerprints

   Germanist

   a specialist in the study of Germanic language or culture or literature

   designer, graphic designer

   someone who specializes in graphic design

   graphologist, handwriting expert

   a specialist in inferring character from handwriting

   decorator, designer, house decorator, interior decorator, interior designer, room decorator

   a person who specializes in designing architectural interiors and their furnishings

   limnologist

   a specialist in the study of freshwater ponds and lakes

   meteorologist

   a specialist who studies processes in the earth's atmosphere that cause weather conditions

   oculist, optometrist

   a person skilled in testing for defects of vision in order to prescribe corrective glasses

   orientalist

   a specialist in oriental subjects

   Teutonist

   a specialist in the history of the Teutonic people or language (especially with respect to the Teutonic influence on the history of England)

   arborist, tree surgeon

   a specialist in treating damaged trees

   cultural attache

   an attache who is a specialist in cultural matters

   military attache

   an attache who is a specialist in military matters

   weather forecaster, weatherman

   predicts the weather

   type of:

   expert, pundit

   a person with special knowledge or ability who performs skillfully
2. noun

   someone who practices one branch of medicine
   synonyms: medical specialist

   types:

   anaesthetist, anesthesiologist, anesthetist

   a specialist who administers an anesthetic to a patient before he is treated

   baby doctor, paediatrician, pediatrician, pediatrist

   a specialist in the care of babies

   cardiologist, heart specialist, heart surgeon

   a specialist in cardiology; a specialist in the structure and function and disorders of the heart

   chiropodist, foot doctor, podiatrist

   a specialist in care for the feet

   dermatologist, skin doctor

   a doctor who specializes in the physiology and pathology of the skin

   diagnostician, pathologist

   a doctor who specializes in medical diagnosis

   diplomate

   medical specialist whose competence has been certified by a diploma granted by an appropriate professional group

   ear doctor, ear specialist, otologist

   a physician who specializes in the ear and its diseases

   embryologist

   a physician who specializes in embryology

   endocrinologist

   physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions affecting the endocrine system

   ENT man, ear-nose-and-throat doctor, otolaryngologist, otorhinolaryngologist, rhinolaryngologist

   a specialist in the disorders of the ear or nose or throat

   geriatrician, gerontologist

   a specialist in gerontology

   gynaecologist, gynecologist, woman's doctor

   a specialist in gynecology

   haematologist, hematologist

   a doctor who specializes in diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs

   hygienist

   a medical specialist in hygiene

   internist

   a specialist in internal medicine

   brain doctor, neurologist

   a medical specialist in the nervous system and the disorders affecting it

   accoucheur, obstetrician

   a physician specializing in obstetrics

   oncologist

   a specialist in oncology

   eye doctor, oculist, ophthalmologist

   a medical doctor specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the eye

   orthopaedist, orthopedist

   a specialist in correcting deformities of the skeletal system (especially in children)

   orthoptist

   a specialist in orthoptics

   proctologist

   a doctor specializing in diseases of the rectum and anus

   head-shrinker, psychiatrist, shrink

   a physician who specializes in psychiatry

   radiographer

   a person who makes radiographs

   radiologist, radiotherapist

   a medical specialist who uses radioactive substances and X-rays in the treatment of disease

   rheumatologist

   a physician specializing in rheumatic diseases

   urologist

   a specialist in urology

   alienist

   a psychiatrist and specialist in the legal aspects of mental illness

   analyst, psychoanalyst

   a licensed practitioner of psychoanalysis

   aetiologist, etiologist

   a specialist in the etiology of diseases

   perinatologist

   an obstetrician specializing in perinatology

   type of:

   Dr., MD, doc, doctor, medico, physician

   a licensed medical practitioner