ÉMINENCE GRISE Synonyms: 31 Similar and Opposite Words

éminence grise

noun

ā-mē-näⁿs-ˈgrēz

Definition of éminence grise

as in elder statesman

the senior member of a group the revered éminence grise of Civil War historians

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 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 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

Yesterday’s punk, grunge, and rebel-outsider upstarts have an uncanny way of evolving into today’s elder statesmen of respectable infamy.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
The squad’s elder statesmen set standards on the pitch and in the dressing room to help their more junior colleagues along their journey.

— Andy Naylor, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of elder statesman

Noun

Graeme Sloan | Bloomberg | Getty Images Prediction market exchange Polymarket has hired a near three-decade Goldman Sachs veteran to help lead its push to attract Wall Street liquidity.

— Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
This year’s recipients were selected by a committee comprising Lee, veteran filmmaker Yoji Yamada, cinematographer Akiko Ashizawa and TIFF Programming Director Shozo Ichiyama.

— Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of veteran

Noun

Allison was founding dean of Harvard’s Kennedy School, which for decades trained many of China’s government officials.

— Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2026
Nitin Nohria spent a decade as dean of Harvard Business School, and taught his first workshop there for new CEOs in 1997.

— Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of dean

Noun

The feeling of having this community of students and friends and mentors and elders, also the texture and the culture of HBCUs, and then the political consciousness of the show.

— Brande Victorian, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026
On one side there has been Paden, backed by a contingent of supporters that has included family, church elders, the former bank president and other prominent residents.

— Glenn Rice, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of elder

Browse Nearby Words

eminence

éminence grise

eminences

See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

Style

“éminence grise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/%C3%A9minence%20grise. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of éminence grise

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

tittle

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes