Skip to main content
guitarist

guitarist

85 2.9
A person who plays the guitar in concerts or as a job
  • noun
  • /ɡɪˈtɑːrɪst/
translation icon : guitarrista
  • Was special because of all the living rock guitarists, I think he's the best.
  • singer-guitarist
  • pianists and guitarists
  • rock guitarist

He's a unique guitarist, but he's not Steve Vai.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • The person concerned is none other than Tom DeLonge, the former singer and guitarist of the rock band Blink 182.

  • How did The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr inspire bands like Oasis and the Stone Roses?

  • Usually, at least one guitarist is found, but even that is not necessary.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Michael Steel, son of rock guitarist Stevie Steel, was one of the missing.

  • I thought of my favorite guitarists over the past 50 years.

    Academic text (2013)
  • And the guy named John is a wonderful guitarist and he plays a lot of bossa Nova.

  • I'm meeting with the best guitarist in Plainview.

  • If you ever listen to Brian May solo live, he's hands down the best guitarist on the planet.

  • Nancy Wilson is the most underrated guitarist in rock history.

  • Jimmy Page is an acclaimed guitarist known for his innovative playing style.

Synonyms

guitar player
vsguitarist
38 1.3

A person who plays the guitar in songs or bands

is used for a professional performer on that instrument
axeman
vsguitarist
1 6.1

A person who plays guitar in a band

is more neutral and denotes a professional performer
strummer
vsguitarist
1 5.5

A person who plays a guitar or similar instrument by brushing the strings

focuses on being a professional performer rather than just the technique
plucker
vsguitarist
5.1

A person who plays a string instrument by pulling the strings with their fingers

emphasizes professional performance rather than specific plucking method

How Skilled

virtuoso
12 8.0
guitarist
85 2.9
amateur
122 2.8
novice
46 3.4

Surface Forms

guitarist singular
guitarists plural

Morphology

guitarist = guitar (transparent) = guitar + ist

An ordinary agentive formation: 'guitar' + '-ist' yields 'a person who plays the guitar', which is directly inferable.

Etymology

Guitarist is made from guitar plus the ending -ist, which means 'a person who does something', as in artist or pianist. The word guitar came into English from Spanish guitarra, which comes from an old Greek instrument called kithara, so a guitarist is simply 'a person of the guitar' who plays the string instrument.