Standard Lemma guide

spelunker

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

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.

  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ʌŋkə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: S P AH0 L AH1 NG K ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

One who explores caves; one who spelunks.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Canada, US

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: caver, potholer

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An amateur or inadequately prepared caver.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: derogatory

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a person who explores caves

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: potholer, speleologist, spelaeologist

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: explorer, adventurer

History

Etymology

From then-obsolete spelunk (noun) + -er. Coined by New England cave explorer Roger Charles Johnson in the 1930s.

Across languages

Translations

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: пещерняк (pešternjak) — one who explores caves
  • Dutch: speleoloog — one who explores caves
  • Finnish: luolatutkija — one who explores caves
  • French: spéléologue — one who explores caves
  • German: Höhlenforscher — one who explores caves
  • German: Höhlenforscherin — one who explores caves
  • Greek: σπηλαιολόγος (spilaiológos) — one who explores caves
  • Hungarian: barlangász — one who explores caves
  • Icelandic: hellakönnuður — one who explores caves
  • Italian: speleologo — one who explores caves
  • Polish: grotołaz — one who explores caves
  • Polish: speleolog — one who explores caves
  • Russian: спелео́лог (speleólog) — one who explores caves
  • Slovene: jamar — one who explores caves
  • Slovene: jamarka — one who explores caves
  • Tagalog: mangyuyungib — one who explores caves