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natural scientist

natural scientist

1 3.7
A person who studies plants, animals, and where they live
  • noun
  • /ˈnæʧərəl ˈsaɪəntɪst/
translation icon : científico natural
  • Natural scientists study the behavior of animals in their natural habitats.
  • most natural scientists
  • many natural scientists

Examples

  • One reason for this illusion has been the professional disdain of natural scientists for cities.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Natural scientists are usually uncomfortable with the idea that "environmentally sound development" is not a self-evident, value-neutral concept.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Half of the members were economists or political scientists; two more were natural scientists.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Natural scientists have often been the first to point out environmental problems of enormous social consequence.

    Academic text (2005)
  • But most natural scientists have been brought up on the notion that science is value-neutral.

    Academic text (2005)
  • The first explanation is the subject of a long-term probe by natural scientists.

    Academic text (2002)
  • At the same time, natural scientists must unlearn their implicitly held social science theories.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Yet African Americans have not increased their representation among natural scientists at either the bachelor's degree or doctoral level.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Maybe you know the story told by the great natural scientist Lauren Isley of the man who's walking down the beach and sees another man tossing starfish back into the sea.

  • Here we will cross paths for the first time with Claude Perrault, older brother of Charles, medical doctor, natural scientist, architect, theorist, translator of Vitruvius, author of programs for Versailles.

    Academic text (2001)

Synonyms

scientist
vsnatural scientist
2.1

A person who studies science and does experiments to find new facts

is specific to natural history topics rather than covering all science areas
biologist
vsnatural scientist
111 3.5

A scientist who studies living things and where and how they live

focuses more on historical and observational knowledge of nature than lab research
naturalist
vsnatural scientist
  • Specialized
18 4.8

A person who studies plants and animals in nature

is less expert and more generally knowledgeable about natural history
life scientist
vsnatural scientist
1 3.5

A person who studies living things and how they work

centres on observational natural history rather than broad life science research

How Knowledgeable

expert
3.2
natural scientist
1 3.7
researcher
693 2.7
enthusiast
81 3.4
layperson
14 4.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

natural + scientist

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from 'scientist' (a person engaged in scientific research) modified by 'natural' (relating to nature), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a scientist who studies nature (e.g., botany, zoology). This adjective+noun composition is cross-linguistically common and follows standard noun modification patterns, making the MWE immediately comprehensible.

Etymology

The term natural scientist comes from the simple image of someone out in nature, watching and collecting plants and animals. Because natural means 'nature' and scientist means 'a person who studies', the phrase means 'a person who knows about plants, animals, and natural history'.