DOYEN Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

doyen

noun

ˈdȯi-ən

Definition of doyen

as in veteran

a person with long experience in a specified area considered the doyen of American art critics

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in dean

the senior member of a group he's the doyen of American museum directors, and his opinion has considerable weight

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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 doyen Buñuel, Bergman, Éric Rohmer, Satyajit Ray, Miloš Forman, and plenty of Andrzej Wajda and Miklós Jancsó—the Hungarian doyen of the long take. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2026 Murray’s focus on tax measures in his quote may dampen expectations that the Labour government is about to improve the high-end TV tax credit, which industry doyens have been calling for for some time now. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 5 Feb. 2026 Sorkin, Kernen and Quick have been anchoring the show together for the last 14 years, with Kernen serving as the doyen of the group, going to back to its 1995 debut. — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025 My first tax boss was Stephen Land, a doyen of the international tax bar in New York, now retired. — Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for doyen

Recent Examples of Synonyms for doyen

Noun

Last month, veteran Hollywood producer Roy Lee got three calls in a single day from executives at three different studios.

— Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
In addition, veteran forward Andrew Wiggins’ two-year extension worth $34 million with the Heat also became official on Monday.

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 7 July 2026

Definition of veteran

Noun

Ian Williamson, dean of the business school, said the new federal policy played a role in the decision as well as student scheduling preferences.

— Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
But Erwin Chemerinsky, Berkeley’s law school dean, said Trump still won most of the cases the court decided either after oral arguments or through emergency appeals the administration brought.

— Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 3 July 2026

Definition of dean

Noun

While choosing the layout, the tribe hosted listening sessions with community members and elders.

— Sarah Liese, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
More important for the purposes of the Social Media Minimum Age’s failure is that Aussie youth undeniably know technology better than do their elders in Parliament.

— John Tamny, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

Definition of elder

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doxy

doyen

doyenne

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“Doyen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doyen. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of doyen

noun

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