analyst

analyst — noun

1. a person who is paid to look closely at information, numbers, or events in a par

1.nounB2
Definition

a person who is paid to look closely at information, numbers, or events in a particular field — such as money markets, politics, or company data — and then explain what they mean or guess what may happen next.

Example

Tariq works as a financial analyst at a small bank in Taipei.

pattern: [field] analyst at [organization]

Political analysts on television predicted that the prime minister would lose the election.

collocation: analysts predicted that...

Common collocations
  • financial analyst
  • political analyst
  • data analyst
  • industry analyst
  • senior analyst
  • analysts predict
  • analysts expect
Synonyms
  • expert

    broader; an expert may not work with data the way an analyst does

  • researcher

    focuses on producing new findings; an analyst interprets existing facts

  • commentator

    speaks publicly, often in media, while an analyst may work behind the scenes

Grammar Patterns

analyst at/for [organization]

[field] analyst

Usage Note

Almost always preceded by a field word that names what the person studies (financial, political, data, sports, security). Distinguish from sense 2: this sense covers any subject matter, not mental health.

Common Mistakes

She is analyst of the company.
She is an analyst at the company.
countable noun; needs an article and usually pairs with 'at' or 'for' before the employer.
He is a analyst about politics.
He is a political analyst.
the field goes in front as an adjective, not after with 'about'.

2. a trained therapist who helps a patient slowly bring up hidden thoughts, dreams,

2.nounC1
Definition

a trained therapist who helps a patient slowly bring up hidden thoughts, dreams, and childhood memories during long talking sessions, with the goal of easing emotional pain — short for psychoanalyst.

Example

Pia has been seeing an analyst twice a week since her divorce last spring.

collocation: see/seeing an analyst

Her analyst asked her to describe a dream she had about her late mother.

pattern: [possessive] analyst

Common collocations
  • see an analyst
  • my analyst
  • train as an analyst
  • Jungian analyst
  • Freudian analyst
Synonyms
  • psychoanalyst

    the full word; 'analyst' is the everyday short form

  • therapist

    broader; covers many talk-therapy methods, not just psychoanalysis

  • shrink

    informal slang, sometimes humorous

Grammar Patterns

see an analyst

[possessive] analyst

Usage Note

Short for 'psychoanalyst' and used mostly in American English, especially in New York and film/TV settings. Distinguish from sense 1: only this sense refers to a clinician treating patients; never used for someone who studies markets or politics.

Common Mistakes

My analyst gave me a pill for anxiety.
My psychiatrist gave me a pill for anxiety.
analysts in this sense use talk therapy, not medication.
She is an analyst of broken hearts.
She is an analyst who treats people with relationship problems.
does not take an 'of + topic' pattern in the clinical sense.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

An analyst is paid to study one specific field — money, politics, sport, security — and turn raw facts into a clear opinion or forecast for clients, employers, or the public. An expert is anyone with deep knowledge of a topic, but they may simply teach or advise rather than produce regular reports. A researcher digs for new information through experiments, surveys, or archive work; their output is fresh data, while an analyst usually interprets data others have collected. A commentator speaks publicly, often live on TV or radio, and gives quick reactions to events as they unfold; analysts may stay behind the scenes producing written reports. Compare: a sports researcher might count every pass in a season; a sports analyst then explains what those numbers say about the team; a sports commentator describes the match aloud as it happens.

analyst ↗expert ↗researcher ↗commentator ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • financial analyst
  • political analyst
  • data analyst
  • policy analyst
  • security analyst
  • industry analyst
  • senior analyst
  • research analyst

Adverbs

Phrases

  • analysts predict
  • analysts expect
  • analysts warn
  • according to analysts

Prepositions

  • analyst at
  • analyst for
  • analyst with

Etymology

GreekFrenchEnglish

The word reached English in the early 1600s from French 'analyste', which itself came from Greek roots meaning 'one who unties or breaks down'. The original idea was someone who could take a tangled problem apart piece by piece. The mental-health sense arose much later, in the 1900s, as a short form of 'psychoanalyst' after Sigmund Freud's methods spread through Europe and the United States.