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I am aware the definitions of "specialist" and "expert" on dictionary.

specialist

someone who has a lot of experience, knowledge, or skill in a particular subject

expert

a person with a high level of knowledge or skill relating to a particular subject or activity

However, I don't really understand the usage of them. For instance, is a physicist

a specialist

an expert

or both?

Could someone please give a hint? Thanks in advance.

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    They could be both. Expert emphasises a person's high degree of knowledge or experience in a subject, specialist emphasises that they have concentrated on a particular narrow field of expertise.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Mar 29, 2020 at 16:20
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    I agree, and a physicist could be neither. They might be a generalist in the subject of physics. Both terms, "specialist" and "expert" are relative, not absolute.
    – Jack O'Flaherty
    Commented Mar 29, 2020 at 21:00

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An expert is someone who knows a lot about a certain topic. A specialist is someone who has dedicated themselves to studying a topic.

The words have slightly different connotations. For example, J.R.R. Tolkien was a specialist in Germanic philology, but he was an expert in many other fields of knowledge such as the Finnish and Welsh languages, ancient European folklore, and creative writing.

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