elder

Definition of eldernext
1
2
as in superior
one who is above another in rank, station, or office as your elder in the company, he is within his rights to tell you what to do

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
as in ancestor
one who is older than another it wouldn't hurt to show a little more respect for your elders

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

4

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of elder Finally, talk with an elder-law attorney if the problem keeps happening. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2026 The happiness levels were determined by senior suicide rates, how many elders live alone, life expectancy at 65, senior volunteer rates, overall state happiness and other factors. Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 21 June 2026 At first Zeke seems the very embodiment of older generations’ complaints about GenZ ennui, but Rice isn’t taking cheap shots — not least since since his elders-but-not-wisers get no more flattering a portrait once George (Camp) enters the scene. Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 June 2026 The years have only intensified Zimmerman’s mournful, hushed vocal performance, and Dream Me a Dream often plays out like a bedtime story spun by a beloved elder, accompanied by soft strings, shakers, and even a synth or two. Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 19 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for elder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elder
Noun
  • Enough with the oldsters, what about those kids?
    Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 4 June 2026
  • With each passing day, its oldster cast — including Alfred Molina, Alfre Woodard, and Geena Davis — is closer to the grave.
    Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 31 May 2026
Noun
  • The investigation, according to the archives, cited several factors as contributing to the tragedy, including Holland’s disregard of procedures, the failure of superiors to take previous action and the inadequate preparation of crew members aboard the doomed plane.
    Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 16 June 2026
  • The president watched Israel assassinate his colleagues and superiors, faced accusations by ultra-conservative hardline politicians of compliance with Iran’s archenemy, the United States, and even oversaw a massive crackdown on protests.
    Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 12 June 2026
Noun
  • Kean comes from a long line of public servants, stretching 250 years to the country’s founding when one of his ancestors became New Jersey’s first leader since independence.
    Mike Catalini, Fortune, 30 June 2026
  • One of these is likely the evolutionary ancestor of all that is to come.
    Stephen Witt, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
Noun
  • Cultural exchanges like these counter distorted media narratives, says Mimi Sheller, dean of the Global School at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, who studies the movement of people around the world.
    Medara Udoekong, Christian Science Monitor, 26 June 2026
  • As Verity Shaye, assistant dean for education at NYU, explained to me, medical educators have long struggled to assess communication and reasoning skills directly.
    Spencer Dorn, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
Noun
  • Raya Elfadel Kheirbek is a professor of medicine and chief of the division of palliative medicine and geriatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
    Raya Elfadel Kheirbek, Washington Post, 17 May 2026
  • What was shocking was that searches for novels about geriatrics period almost exclusively turned up women not very much older.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 May 2026
Noun
  • Countless Argentina bosses tried and failed.
    Chris Evans, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
  • On Thursday, the Interior Department was claiming to have beat back the toxic blooms — while doing a drive-by trashing of Barack Obama to please the boss.
    Maureen Dowd, Mercury News, 23 June 2026
Noun
  • And a quieter sky genuinely matters to veterans with PTSD, to parents of sensory-sensitive kids, and to every dog that spends the Fourth wedged under a bed.
    Robert J. Szczerba, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • Condrey is a writer, veteran and formerly homeless resident of San Diego.
    David Lee Condrey, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 June 2026
Noun
  • The exhibit features several dozen dinosaur animatronics that fully loom and roar, and a virtual aquarium stocked with swimming ancients.
    John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 20 May 2026
  • Sitting alone among these ancients can be a profound experience.
    Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Elder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elder. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.

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