1. scholars who study the languages, cultures, and history of Asian countries, especially East Asia and the Middle East
Usage: academic
2. people who have a scholarly interest in or expertise about Eastern cultures and civilizations

Examples

• The conference brought together orientalists from universities around the world.
• Many 19th-century orientalists traveled extensively through Asia to conduct their research.
• The orientalists presented their findings on ancient Chinese literature.
• She consulted several orientalists for her book on Middle Eastern history.
• The museum’s collection was assembled by prominent orientalists of the early 1900s.
• Modern orientalists use digital tools to analyze historical texts.