1
as in adult
a person of advanced years
in that Asian society elders are accorded great respect
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in ancestor
one who is older than another
it wouldn't hurt to show a little more respect for your elders
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in dean
the senior member of a group
as the elder of the contingent of living former presidents, he was accorded a place of highest honor at the ceremonies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of elder
The teens’ videos, while at times factually questionable, highlight a desire among some to avoid the chronic illnesses and other conditions that have plagued their elders.
—
Natalie Proulx, New York Times, 15 May 2025
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
Many Appalachian community elders and historians invoked the history—and imagination—of pack horse librarians who paved the way.
—Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for elder
Natalie Proulx, New York Times, 15 May 2025
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
Many Appalachian community elders and historians invoked the history—and imagination—of pack horse librarians who paved the way.
—Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for elder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elder
Noun
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Felton will play the adult version of Draco at the Lyric Theatre in New York City, beginning Nov. 11 for a 19-week run through March 22, 2026.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
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Kids under 10 are free with the purchase of an adult ticket.—
Alyssa Cooper,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 June 2025
Noun
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After Massey’s death, it was revealed that Grayson previously worked for five law enforcement agencies and had been the subject of citizen complaints and criticism from superiors who questioned his competence.—
Jeremy Gorner,
Chicago Tribune,
1 June 2025
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In interviews, the soldiers complained of lack of leave, corruption among superiors and the indifference of their compatriots.—
Anatoly Kurmanaev,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
Noun
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One of these two lineages is the ancestor of the present-day strains, while the other strain re-emerged over centuries in Europe and went extinct by the early 19th century.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
29 May 2025
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The banjo itself was invented by our ancestors to bring us together as a spiritual community, stretching from those long gone, all the way to those who haven’t been born yet.—
Essence,
Essence,
29 May 2025
Noun
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National Dems boost Moore’s budget message; state Dems focus on Hogan Johns Hopkins selects new dean of public health after global search READER POLL: Who gave the best commencement speech?—
Karl Merton Ferron,
Baltimore Sun,
29 May 2025
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In addition to investigating allegations of drinking with students, Hiestand was tasked with investigating claims of harassment between two parties: the coaches and deans accused of partying with students and a teacher who reported them.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
23 May 2025
Noun
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Who among us oldsters doesn’t enjoy a good VFX-costume parlay?—
Steven Zeitchik,
The Hollywood Reporter,
28 Feb. 2025
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Folks back in the day had Yoda as their feisty oldster and the kids now have Maz. 36.—
Brian Truitt,
USA TODAY,
24 May 2023
Noun
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In a Reddit post, the woman's employee exposed her boss's shortcomings by simply following instructions.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 June 2025
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The violence all allegedly stemmed from a workplace grudge triggered by a $100 equipment bill from his boss for damage to heavy construction equipment, authorities said.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
4 June 2025
Noun
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Twenty-two a day has been a call-to-action statistic, although the most recent data from the 2024 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report (using 2022 numbers) puts it at 17.6 veterans committing suicide per day, which is significantly higher than among non-veteran adults.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2025
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Alex Caruso, one of the team’s veterans, was a bench guy, until he was tasked with defending Nikola Jokić during the Thunder’s series against the Denver Nuggets, and did about as good a job as anyone has ever done of shutting Jokić down.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
8 June 2025
Noun
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The conclusions and recommendations: · Make basic geriatrics training and methods standard for physicians, nurses, and other health care providers.—
Sara Zeff Geber, PhD,
Forbes,
19 Sep. 2024
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Related Articles From 1980 to 1999, Dr. Taler led the geriatrics care and house call medicine team at the University of Maryland Medical Center and served on the Maryland Medical School faculty.—
Jacques Kelly,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Elder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elder. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
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