elder

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 Directly referencing elders in such a manner is exceptionally rare in ancient inscriptions, underscoring the significance of the find. Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2025 Our elders know how to make tools and sealskin pants the right way. Jennie Punter, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025 And day one did not turn into the Freak-out of the Gen Alphas that elders might have predicted. Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 5 Sep. 2025 Or elders and younger people get to talk to each other. Carmen Rios, Flow Space, 5 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for elder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elder
Noun
  • During Full House, Sweetin said the child actors would often come across as more professional than their adult counterparts amid all the tomfoolery.
    Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Sep. 2025
  • For decades, the mighty roars of dinosaurs have thundered through movies, TV shows, and filled the imaginations of children and adults alike.
    Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 14 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Women described being diminished not only by their superiors but also by peers and sometimes even clients.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • When there is an incident involving the police, such as an arrest or a traffic stop, police officers should assume they are being watched by their body cameras, which could then be inspected by their superiors.
    Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Her ancestor’s analytic model discouraged self-revelation by the therapist, but Freud often meets her guests’ excavations of desire and vulnerability with her own candid recollections.
    Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
  • In Rea Rasmussen's case, the process took 18 months and required building genealogical connections back to ancestors born in the 1780s.
    Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • News reports chronicle backlash against a MSNBC analyst, a Middle Tennessee State University assistant dean of students, a University of Mississippi employee and a communications coordinator for the Carolina Panthers.
    Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025
  • The professor promptly lost her job, and the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and the head of the English department were both removed from their positions.
    Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • But Italian brainrot’s invisible massiveness, totally foreign to oldsters but beloved by children across continents and languages, is a compelling and chilling showcase of our frazzled internet culture landscape.
    Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Uncle Herschel, the seated oldster in Cracker Barrel’s iconic logo, is not only a character from corporate lore, the founder’s real-life uncle, but a representative, even an aspirational, figure for a certain kind of American.
    Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Recently, her boss asked the group who would be able to stay late to finish up a few reports.
    Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 14 Sep. 2025
  • While Kimmie worked as a dancer at the club, Jules (who serves as both Bellaire’s head of security and the boss at Norman’s secret strip club) forced her to be Roy's prostitute.
    Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Its proposals to support grocery stores in stocking more produce, introduce markets to food deserts, serve healthy meals to students and veterans, and limit junk-food ads targeted at children all sound promising, but the report offers few specifics on implementation.
    Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2025
  • According to a statement from the North Little Rock police Department, Norman, a 27-year veteran of the department, was charged with one count of domestic battery in the third degree.
    Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 14 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Your ability to move with or without ease comes down to muscle mass, range of motion, flexibility, and energy levels, according to Richard Dupee, MD, chief of geriatrics at Tufts Medical Center.
    Sydney Wingfield, Health, 26 Aug. 2025
  • It also was listed in the top 50 in cancer, cardiology and vascular surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery, geriatrics, urology, and neurology and neurosurgery.
    Ashley Mackin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Elder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elder. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.

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