noun
Meaning 1
An aerospace engineer.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Phrase guide
rocket scientist
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˌɹɒkɪt ˈsaɪəntɪst/
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General-American: /ˌɹɑkət ˈsaɪəntəst/
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General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
noun
Meaning 2
One qualified to handle or understand things which are very complex or confusing; a very intelligent person.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: excessive, idiomatic, informal
Examples
- You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see that that idea won’t work.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: brain surgeon, Einstein, genius, rocket surgeon, brain, brainbox, brainiac, deep thinker, egghead, intellectual, mind, rocket scientist, superbrain, thinker, boffin, bright spark, geek, nerd, Poindexter, propeller head, shrewd article, smart cookie, supernerd, whiz
Antonyms: addle-brain, addlehead, addle pate, airhead, baboon, beanbrain, beetlebrain, beetlehead, berk, bimbo, birdbrain, blockhead, blubberbrain, bonehead, Boeotian, boob, bozo, brainlet, brickhead, bubblehead, bubble brain, bufflehead, buffoon, Charlie, chowderhead, chucklehead, chump, cittern-head, clod, clodpate, clot, clown, crackhead, cretin, cuckoo, deadhead, dimbo, dim bulb, dimbus, dimwit, dingbat, ding dong, dingleberry, dingwad, dip, dipstick, doldrum, dolt, donut, doodle, doof, doofoid, doofus, dope, dork, drivel, drongo, drool bucket, dullard, dumb bunny, dumbbell, dumb cluck, dumbhead, dumble, dumbling, dumbnut, dumbo, dummkopf, dummy, dunce, dunderhead, dunderpate, eejit, fathead, featherbrain, fenderhead, fleabrain, fool, fopdoodle, galoot, gimboid, gomer, gonk, goober, goof, goofball, goofy, goon, goose, goosecap, gorbuson, gudgeon, halfwit, ha'porth, hammerhead, idiot, ignoramus, imbecile, inbred, jackaninny, jellybrain, jerk, juggins, jughead, knothead, knucklehead, lackwit, lamebrain, log, loggerhead, lummox, lunk, lunkhead, maroon, meatball, meathead, mental midget, mome, momo, mongoloid, mongtard, monkey, moron, mouth breather, muggins, mushhead, muttonhead, mutt, nimrod, nincompoop, ninny, ninnyhammer, nit, nitwit, noddy, noodlehead, numbskull, oaf, peabrain, peagoose, pillock, pigwidgeon, pinhead, plank, plonker, prat, put, putz, retard, sap, saphead, schmo, silly, simp, simpleton, smooth brain, snapperhead, sot, space cadet, spanner, stupe, stupid, stupid-head, tard, thickhead, thickskull, thicko, tomfool, tonto, toolbox, tosspot, turkey, twit, wally, wantwit, wazzer, wazzock, witless wonder, yo-yo, zany, Vulgar:, ass, assclown, asshat, asshead, asstard, asswipe, buttbreath, dildo, dipshit, donkey dick, Alternative spelling of dumbass., dumbfuck, dumbfucker, dumbshit, farthead, fuck-knuckle, fucktard, fuckwit, jackass, peckerhead, shitbrain, shithead, shitneck, shitwit, twat
noun
Meaning 3
an engineer who builds and tests rockets
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: rocket engineer
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: engineer, applied scientist, technologist
Narrower terms: Braun, von Braun, Wernher von Braun, Wernher Magnus Maximilian von Braun
noun
Meaning 4
a clever thinker
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- you do not have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: thinker
History
Etymology
From rocket + scientist.
Across languages
Translations
13 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Czech: bůhvíjaký génius — one qualified to handle or understand things which are very complex or confusing
- Czech: kdovíjaká bedna — one qualified to handle or understand things which are very complex or confusing
- Dutch: raketgeleerde — one qualified to handle or understand things which are very complex or confusing
- Finnish: nero — one qualified to handle or understand things which are very complex or confusing
- Finnish: rakettitieteilijä — one qualified to handle or understand things which are very complex or confusing
- Finnish: ruudinkeksijä — one qualified to handle or understand things which are very complex or confusing
- French: Einstein — one qualified to handle or understand things which are very complex or confusing
- French: grand clerc — one qualified to handle or understand things which are very complex or confusing
- French: polytechnicien — one qualified to handle or understand things which are very complex or confusing
- French: tête — one qualified to handle or understand things which are very complex or confusing
- Polish: geniusz — one qualified to handle or understand things which are very complex or confusing
- Polish: mózgowiec — one qualified to handle or understand things which are very complex or confusing
- Russian: семи́ пя́дей во лбу (semí pjádej vo lbu) — one qualified to handle or understand things which are very complex or confusing