naturalist
/ˈnætʃrəlɪst/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈnætʃrəlɪst/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈna-ch(ə-)rə-list/ (ame, mw)
naturalist — noun
- naturalistsingular
- naturalistsplural
1. someone who spends time observing and learning about wild plants, animals, and o
someone who spends time observing and learning about wild plants, animals, and other organisms in their natural habitats
The young naturalist kept a notebook of every bird species she spotted in the forest.
keen/young/amateur naturalist — common collocations
Selim, who has been a keen naturalist since childhood, can identify over a hundred wildflowers.
The nature reserve invited local naturalists to help count the butterfly population each spring.
As a naturalist, Folake spends her weekends walking through wetlands and recording frog calls.
Christopher joined a group of amateur naturalists who meet every month to explore the coastline.
- natural historian
a more formal synonym, emphasising knowledge of natural history rather than active fieldwork
- biologist
a professional scientist; broader than naturalist, which can include amateurs
- wildlife enthusiast
a non-specialist who enjoys watching wild animals; less formal and less knowledgeable than a naturalist
- field biologist
a professional scientist who works outdoors studying organisms in their environment
用法筆記
More common than sense 2 in everyday use. Frequently paired with keen, amateur, or young (e.g., amateur naturalist, keen naturalist). Unlike a biologist, a naturalist usually observes living things in their natural settings rather than in a laboratory, and the term often implies amateur rather than professional status.
常見錯誤
2. a writer, painter, or other artist who creates work according to naturalist prin
a writer, painter, or other artist who creates work according to naturalist principles, depicting ordinary life and people in a detailed, unidealised manner
Élise admired the 19th-century French naturalists for their honest depictions of working-class life.
naturalist + of + period/place
The novel was written by a famous naturalist who portrayed poverty without softening the details.
As a naturalist, Felix painted rural scenes exactly as they appeared before him.
Film critics called the director a true naturalist for capturing everyday speech on screen.
Noa's portrait teacher was a naturalist who believed in showing every wrinkle and imperfection.
- realist
a broader term for any artist who depicts things as they are, not necessarily tied to the specific naturalist movement
- documentarian
a person who creates factual records of real life; more common in film and photography than in literature
- verist
a highly formal term for someone who aims at extreme, sometimes brutal, realism in art
- romanticist
an artist who shows life as it could be or should be, emphasising beauty and emotion over raw reality
- idealist
someone who portrays things in a perfect form, rather than as they really are
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 ('NATURE STUDIES'): this sense is about artistic method and belongs to the domain of literary and art criticism. It refers specifically to the naturalist movement of the late 19th century, associated with writers such as Émile Zola.