Meanings
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1
noun
A scientist who studies the relationships between living things and their environment.
The ecologist spent years studying the wildlife in the wetlands.
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2
noun
A person who works to protect the natural environment.
Ecologists protested against plans to drain the marsh.
Thesaurus
Word family
Forms
ecologists
Derived forms
agroecologistastroecologistbioecologistchemoecologistdendroecologistethnoecologistgeoecologistmacroecologistpalaeoecologistpaleoecologist
Etymology
From eco- + -logist. The less common sense “environmentalist” might be from association with deep ecology, or influenced by Romance-language equivalents such as Spanish ecologista (“environmentalist”).