as in elder statesman
the senior member of a group
the revered éminence grise of Civil War historians
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Recent Examples of éminence grise
But none have matched JPMorgan, which, under the leadership of Wall Street’s eminence grise Jamie Dimon, has thrived.
—
Paolo Confino, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2024
Belafonte was 57, an eminence grise in entertainment, and his participation motivated lots of artists who admired him.
—Rob Tannenbaum, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2024
Federer serving in the Sinatra/Clooney part as the eminence grise.
—Jason Gay, WSJ, 24 Sep. 2022
That emotionally astute author, the eminence grise, the institutional memory.
—Washington Post, 29 Dec. 2021
Matthews is an eminence grise of television news, his pugilistic and red-cheeked persona familiar to viewers from countless election nights.
—BostonGlobe.com, 2 Mar. 2020
In the world of the candle obsessed, Diptyque is the eminence grise.
—Kathleen Hou, The Cut, 16 Jan. 2018
Paolo Confino, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2024
Belafonte was 57, an eminence grise in entertainment, and his participation motivated lots of artists who admired him.
—Rob Tannenbaum, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2024
Federer serving in the Sinatra/Clooney part as the eminence grise.
—Jason Gay, WSJ, 24 Sep. 2022
That emotionally astute author, the eminence grise, the institutional memory.
—Washington Post, 29 Dec. 2021
Matthews is an eminence grise of television news, his pugilistic and red-cheeked persona familiar to viewers from countless election nights.
—BostonGlobe.com, 2 Mar. 2020
In the world of the candle obsessed, Diptyque is the eminence grise.
—Kathleen Hou, The Cut, 16 Jan. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for éminence grise
Noun
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And while Nixon did not want an official state funeral, he was honored as a beloved elder statesman, complete with a daylong period of national mourning.—
Jamelle Bouie,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Broncos elder statesman Garett Bolles had never made a Pro Bowl in his eight previous seasons in Denver, and so Natalie Bolles took matters into her own hands on Dec. 7, when her husband still hadn’t received his Pro Bowl graphic.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
23 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Stafford, a 17-year veteran, won the award by finishing ahead of New England quarterback Drake Maye in balloting by a panel of 50 journalists who regularly cover the NFL.—
Gary Klein,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The Seahawks ranked third in total pressures and seventh in sacks this season, thanks to a front seven that includes a rotating set of outside linebackers in veterans DeMarcus Lawrence and Uchenna Nwosu and younger pass rushers Derick Hall and Boye Mafe.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In 2016, a team led by Su Yinquan, dean of forestry at Northwest A&F University, leased 14 hectares of barren Gobi land in Xinjiang to test whether Duzhong could survive and grow there.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The deans forwarded 54 courses to the university's president, and 48 exceptions were granted.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In Boston, the local elder care industry is suffering from a severe staffing crunch, which is only expected to get worse.—
Tami Luhby,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 2026
-
In Neihardt’s book, Black Elk’s tribal elders instruct him to stage his revelation as a performance so that its power might circulate among his people.—
Shannon Taggart,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“éminence grise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/%C3%A9minence%20grise. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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