mathematician
gb/mˌæθəmətˈɪʃən/ us/mˌæθəmətˈɪʃən/
B2
English
~ 7700
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
entity
1
professional in the field of mathematics
A person who works in mathematics, usually doing research or teaching at a high level.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is a/an [adjective] mathematician
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"He is a mathematic"* instead of *"He is a mathematician"*. "Mathematic" is not used as a noun for a person. Another common mistake is using it too broadly for anyone who simply likes math; in many contexts, "mathematician" suggests a professional or highly trained expert.
Synonyms
mathematician (academic) (Adds the idea that the person works mainly in a university or research institute.)
|
mathematics researcher (Focuses on doing new research rather than teaching or general work in mathematics.)
Antonyms
non-specialist (A person who does not have professional-level training in mathematics.)
Collocations
professional mathematician
|applied mathematician
|pure mathematician
|research mathematician
|trained mathematician
|brilliant mathematician
Themes
science
|education
|work
Examples
- She is a mathematician at the university, specializing in number theory.
- The company hired a mathematician to improve their risk models.
- Many famous mathematicians have made important discoveries while still quite young.
- As a professional mathematician, he publishes several research papers every year.
- The prize is given each year to a mathematician under the age of forty.
Learner examples
- My uncle is a mathematician at a big university.
- The school invited a mathematician to talk about his work.
- A mathematician often spends many hours solving difficult problems.
- She wants to become a mathematician when she grows up.
- The book about famous mathematicians was very interesting.
Noun
informal
B2
entity
2
person very good at mathematics
Someone who is very good at math, even if it is not their job.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is (no) mathematician
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize this sense can be informal and a bit loose. In sentences like "I'm no mathematician," the speaker usually means "I'm not very good at math" or "I'm not an expert," not that they literally have a different profession.
Synonyms
math whiz (Informal expression that strongly emphasizes being very quick and clever at math.)
Antonyms
no good at math (Describes someone who is weak in math, the opposite of being a skilled 'mathematician' in this informal sense.)
Collocations
real mathematician
|born mathematician
|natural mathematician
|no mathematician
|not much of a mathematician
Themes
education
|daily_life
|science
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- I'm no mathematician, but even I can see that these numbers don't add up.
- She may not be a trained mathematician, yet she solves complex puzzles with ease.
- Our son is a real mathematician when it comes to mental arithmetic.
- He's a born mathematician, even though he chose a career in music.
- You don't have to be a mathematician to follow the basic idea of this graph.
Learner examples
- I am not a mathematician, so I use a calculator a lot.
- My sister is a real mathematician; she loves hard math problems.
- You do not need to be a mathematician to understand this simple chart.
- He is a mathematician at heart, even though he works as a writer.
- They say she is a natural mathematician because she learns math very fast.
Grammar
Dictionary form
mathematician
IPA
GB/mˌæθəmətˈɪʃən/
US/mˌæθəmətˈɪʃən/
Syllables & stress
math - em - atician (3 syllables)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: mathematician
- Plural: mathematicians
Word family
Expressions
I'm no mathematician, but
1/ˈaɪm nˈoʊ mˌæθəmətˈɪʃən | bˈʌt/
fixed phrase
informal
admitting not being a math expert
Used before you say something about numbers, logic, or facts, to show you know you are not a math expert, but you still think what you say makes sense.
Examples
- I'm no mathematician, but it looks like we're going to lose money if we sign this deal.
- I'm no mathematician, but if we left at six and arrived at nine, the journey must have taken three hours.
- I'm no mathematician, but those statistics don't seem very reliable to me.