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
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
-
The tour, which paired pop-punk’s elder statesmen with its ascendant newcomers, saw Blink-182 closing each night, despite Green Day being the band Hoppus idolized growing up.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
20 May 2025
-
Before becoming the beloved elder statesman of the former presidents club in 1980, Jimmy Carter earned the ire of his successors for his outspokenness.—
Peter Kastor,
The Conversation,
8 May 2025
Noun
-
After the artifact falls onto the black market, a shy waitress with big dreams (Sweeney) teams up with a lovelorn military veteran (Walter Hauser) to gain possession of it, putting them in the crosshairs of a ruthless criminal working on behalf of a Western antiquities dealer.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
15 May 2025
-
The 6-foot 8-inch, 10-year NBA veteran became a minority stakeholder of Leeds United in 2023, buying in through Leeds owner 49ers Enterprises.—
Felipe Cardenas,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
Noun
-
The audience was private, but the Vatican released Leo’s prepared text and that of the dean of the diplomatic corps.—
Nicole Winfield,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2025
-
In a 2009 case, the Supreme Court said FERPA is only about the records that are permanently stored in the principal’s office or the dean’s office and a file that corresponds to a student’s name.—
Holly Yan,
CNN Money,
10 May 2025
Noun
-
Douglas is beguiling enough with her humorous, spunky performance, and MacCormac capably keeps up with her; Will Sasso and Kevin Durand are welcome supporting players as a few of the oddly aggressive town elders.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
9 May 2025
-
Charlotte glanced toward her elders before offering a final wave.—
Janine Henni,
People.com,
5 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“éminence grise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/%C3%A9minence%20grise. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share