A musicologist is a professional who extensively studies music, its history, composition, and style of different genres, movements, and periods. If you are looking for synonyms for the word "musicologist," then you might use the term music historian, which also refers to someone who systematically examines and analyses the evolution and impact of music over time. Another synonym for a musicologist could be music theorist, which relates to someone who takes a more theoretical and analytical approach in their study of music. An ethnomusicologist is someone who studies music within a cultural, social, and historical context, while a music archaeologist specializes in re-discovering and interpreting ancient and almost forgotten musical practices and traditions.