Explorers
Those who discover
Explorers are people who travel to unfamiliar places to discover what's there.
The term applies to historical figures who mapped unknown territories—Columbus, Magellan, Lewis and Clark—and to modern scientists investigating deep ocean trenches or distant planets.
More loosely, anyone venturing into unfamiliar territory explores: Internet Explorer, urban explorers who investigate abandoned buildings.
Children who explore are curious and adventurous.
The explorers set out at dawn.
Those who study systematically
- investigatorsThose who examine facts
- fieldworkResearch conducted on location
- specimensRepresentative items for examination
- documentationWritten proof or instructions
naturalists · Darwin · Humboldt · oceanographers · archaeologists · anthropologists · biologists · geologists
Spanish colonial soldiers
- navigatorsThose who direct travel
- cartographersThose who create maps
- expeditionsOrganized journeys for exploration
- voyagesExtended journeys by sea
discovery · colonizers · pioneers · Marco Polo · Columbus · Magellan · Vasco da Gama · Lewis and Clark
Those seeking exciting experiences
- trekkersLong-journey travelers
- mountaineersHigh-altitude peak scalers
- trailblazersThose who open territory
- bushwhackersForest ambushers or trail-clearers
backpackers · hikers · expeditioners · guides · basecamp · terrain · survival · compass
Crew of spacecraft
- cosmonautsRussian space travelers
- taikonautsChinese space travelers
- NASAFederal space exploration bureau
- missionsAssigned important tasks
spacecraft · rovers · probes · Mars · moon landing · orbit · spacewalk · Neil Armstrong
Those who pursue answers
- questionersPeople who pose queries
- inquirersPeople who seek information
- innovatorsCreators of novel things
- visionariesThose who anticipate change
dreamers · wanderers · knowledge · understanding · unknown · possibilities · imagination · wonder
researchers
Those who study systematically
- investigatorsThose who examine facts
- fieldworkResearch conducted on location
- specimensRepresentative items for examination
documentation · naturalists · Darwin · Humboldt · oceanographers · archaeologists · anthropologists · biologists · geologists · surveys
conquistadors
Spanish colonial soldiers
- navigatorsThose who direct travel
- cartographersThose who create maps
- expeditionsOrganized journeys for exploration
voyages · discovery · colonizers · pioneers · Marco Polo · Columbus · Magellan · Vasco da Gama · Lewis and Clark · Shackleton
adventurers
Those seeking exciting experiences
- trekkersLong-journey travelers
- mountaineersHigh-altitude peak scalers
- trailblazersThose who open territory
bushwhackers · backpackers · hikers · expeditioners · guides · basecamp · terrain · survival · compass · machete
astronauts
Crew of spacecraft
- cosmonautsRussian space travelers
- taikonautsChinese space travelers
- NASAFederal space exploration bureau
missions · spacecraft · rovers · probes · Mars · moon landing · orbit · spacewalk · Neil Armstrong · Yuri Gagarin
seekers
Those who pursue answers
- questionersPeople who pose queries
- inquirersPeople who seek information
- innovatorsCreators of novel things
visionaries · dreamers · wanderers · knowledge · understanding · unknown · possibilities · imagination · wonder · boldness
- youth organizationsBoy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H, Cub Scouts, 4-H Club
- British IconsShakespeare, Churchill, Darwin, Newton, Queen Elizabeth
- sci-fi comedySpaceballs, Galaxy Quest, Futurama, sci-fi parody, Marvin
- Australian PlacesSydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra
Explorerssettlers
Those who establish homes
inhabitants · homebodies · residents · locals · shut-ins
Explorersincurious
Lacking desire to learn
ignoramuses · traditionalists · conservatives · know-it-alls · conformists
- British explorersUK nationals who discovered lands
- Dora the Explorer
- Internet ExplorerMicrosoft's legacy web browser
- polar explorerOne who ventures poleward
- early explorersFirst to venture somewhere
- file explorerProgram for navigating directories