noun

strategist

STRAT-uh-jist/ˈstrætədʒɪst/

A person skilled in planning actions to achieve long-term goals.

The strategist plans the players' routes on a soccer tactics board.

A soccer strategist plans a coordinated attack on a magnetic tactics board, arranging several players' routes toward the opposing goal while an assistant studies the plan.

Etymology

stratGreekarmy

+egGreekleader

+istFrenchperson skilled in an activity

The roots meaning “army” and “leader” underlie the Greek word for a general. A strategist practices the general’s art of planning, extended beyond warfare to achieving goals in other fields.

In context

Chronicle - Medieval History Documentaries152:49

methmet is an extremely astute military strategist he has studied the layout of Constantinople

3+ Hours Of Medieval Military History

More examples

A skilled strategist considers long-term consequences.
The company hires a strategist to guide its expansion.
The campaign's strategists revise their plan after the debate.

Forms

strategist · strategists

Similar words

planner: Does not necessarily imply skill in long-term coordinated action.
tactician: A tactician plans immediate maneuvers; a strategist coordinates broader or longer-term aims.