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elder statesman

noun
|Updated on: 10 Aug 2018

Definition of elder statesman

: an eminent senior member of a group or organization; especially : a retired statesman who unofficially advises current leaders

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Examples of elder statesman in a Sentence

  1. an elder statesman of baseball coaches

  2. the elder statesman of the White House correspondents is finally retiring after nearly a half century of service

Recent Examples of elder statesman from the Web

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'elder statesman.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of elder statesman

1904

in the meaning defined above

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elder statesman Synonyms

Synonyms

dean, elder, senior;

Antonyms

baby, junior;

Near Antonyms

inferior, subordinate, underling;

beginner, colt, fledgling, freshman, greenhorn, neophyte, newbie, newcomer, novice, recruit, rookie, tenderfoot, tyro;

Related Words

better, superior;

old hand, old-timer, vet, veteran;

ELDER STATESMAN Defined for English Language Learners

elder statesman

noun

Definition of elder statesman for English Language Learners

  • : a retired government leader who gives advice to current leaders

  • : a respected man who has been a member of a group or organization for a long time

Learn More about elder statesman

  1. Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for elder statesman

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