elder

1
2
as in superior
one who is above another in rank, station, or office as your elder in the company, he is within his rights to tell you what to do

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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 elder Maybe that means redecorating your home, tending to an elder, or creating new rituals that ground you. Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 30 Sep. 2025 When personalities from within the game — sports directors, coaches, journalists, esteemed elders — appear on programming adjacent to the Bundesliga or the national team (Sport1’s Doppelpass, for instance), strong opinions and disagreements are par for the course. Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025 More than a classroom, the school serves as a site of community healing and nation-building, helping students and elders alike confront and overcome generational trauma. Matthew Carey, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2025 Speaking in February in the backstage media room at the 2025 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Joy happily sang his praises as a jazz elder who continues to be a vibrant performer in concert and on record. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for elder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elder
Noun
  • But the disease is highly treatable if caught early; screening is recommended for adults ages 45 to 75 at average risk.
    Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Young cousins were told to go play while adults tensely discussed the case.
    Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 12 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Maigret’s unconventional methods and unique sense of justice put him at odds with his superiors and the judicial system he is supposed to represent.
    Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Her superiors saw her as a natural choice because of her constructive relationship with Bukele during her term as ambassador.
    T. Christian Miller, ProPublica, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • In 2024, some 75 representatives gathered in Pegli, near Genoa, their ancestors’ home.
    Miquel Ros, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Dogs’ tendency to chase or bark at cats often stems from their natural prey drive, a leftover instinct from their wild ancestors.
    Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Among them is Su Jionglong, deputy dean of the School of AI and Advanced Computing at Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University, who studies how the technology can help reduce discrimination, provide emotional support, and enable faster medical diagnoses.
    Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Aleksandar Tomic, an economist and associate dean for strategy, innovation, and technology at Boston College, said prediction markets like Polymarket have existed before.
    Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • But Italian brainrot’s invisible massiveness, totally foreign to oldsters but beloved by children across continents and languages, is a compelling and chilling showcase of our frazzled internet culture landscape.
    Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Uncle Herschel, the seated oldster in Cracker Barrel’s iconic logo, is not only a character from corporate lore, the founder’s real-life uncle, but a representative, even an aspirational, figure for a certain kind of American.
    Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • And Ippei Mizuhara is doing fed time already for stealing millions from his famous boss, Shohei Ohtani, to pay off gambling debts.
    Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Together, the fill-in bosses turned an early one-score deficit into a 38-0 surge before obliterating Michigan State 38-13 on Saturday.
    Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Catherine Vautrin, a veteran of the center-right, replaced Lecornu as defense minister.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 12 Oct. 2025
  • That conviction comes alive across Portrait, a lush and fearless record co-produced by veteran trumpeter Brian Lynch.
    Shelby Stewart, Essence, 12 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • What had long been the province of geriatrics quickly morphed into something performative and hyper-masculine, with podcasters hyping testosterone injections, influencers displaying stacks of supplements, and billionaires interested in blood plasma exchanges as a way to live longer.
    Anne Marie Chaker, Time, 20 Sep. 2025
  • With Spinal Tap, the joke never gets old, even if the hilarious-as-ever heavy metal trio is now bordering on geriatric.
    Peter Debruge, Variety, 11 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Elder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elder. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.

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