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columnist

columnist

356 3.8
A journalist who writes a regular opinion article in a newspaper or magazine
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑːləmnɪst/
  • Literature
translation icon : columnista
  • Thank you to Douglas Thompson for his time and energy as the technology columnist.
  • newspaper columnist
  • syndicated columnist
  • magazine columnist

He's a brilliant, brilliant columnist, you know, really great guy.

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Examples

  • This is what columnists are supposed to do.

  • Flora Lewis is the Foreign Affairs Columnist of The New York Times, based in Paris.

    Academic text (1990)
  • At that time, he was a columnist for a cultural magazine, and he had read my work somewhere.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Tell me one thing, are you a columnist?

  • He's a brilliant, brilliant columnist, you know, really great guy.

  • Frank Hayes, Computerworld's senior news columnist, has covered IT for more than 20 years.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • In addition, he was a columnist for the Kuwaiti newspaper al-Qabas.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Satran is a columnist for Glamour and writes frequently for both print and online.

    Academic text (2011)
  • I'm a newspaper columnist.

  • As a seasoned columnist, she shares her insights on current events every Sunday.

Synonyms

commentator
vscolumnist
  • Literature
217 3.5

A person who explains news and events on TV or radio

focuses on regular written opinion pieces for newspapers and magazines, not broadcasts
newspaper columnist
vscolumnist
  • Literature
5 3.4

A journalist who regularly writes opinion articles for a newspaper

applies to writers for newspapers or magazines, not just newspapers
editorialist
vscolumnist
  • Literature
2 7.2

A journalist who writes opinion articles for a newspaper or magazine

covers regular opinion articles broadly rather than only formal editorials

Compounds

newspaper columnist
  • Literature
5 3.4

A journalist who regularly writes opinion articles for a newspaper

gossip columnist
  • Literature
4 4.2

A journalist who writes regular stories about celebrities, often using rumors

A person who secretly helps an enemy inside their country

How Opinionated

pundit
  • Literature
131 6.7
columnist
  • Literature
356 3.8
commentator
  • Literature
217 3.5
reporter
  • Literature
1.1

Surface Forms

columnist singular
columnists plural

Morphology

columnist = column (transparent) = column + ist

The agentive suffix '-ist' straightforwardly forms 'a person who writes a column', so knowing 'column' yields the sense of 'columnist'.

Etymology

Columnist comes from column and -ist; column once meant a 'pillar' and later a regular printed 'column' in a paper, and -ist means 'person who does something'. So a columnist is like a regular writer who appears in the same spot to give opinion, which is why it means a journalist who writes regular opinion pieces.