elder

noun

Definition of eldernext
1
as in senior
a person of advanced years in that Asian society elders are accorded great respect

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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

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 The findings come from interviews with eight members of the Sabaot Indigenous community, including wildlife scouts, guides, elders and a retired ranger, who have spent more than 20 years observing elephants in the region. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026 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 Pat Bodenhamer is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church who took a leave of absence to pursue a longtime dream of becoming a history teacher at Pocahontas Junior High School. — Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for elder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elder
  1. oldster
  2. superior
  3. ancestor
  4. dean
  5. geriatric
  6. boss
  7. veteran
  8. ancient
Noun
  • Enough with the oldsters, what about those kids?
    — Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 4 June 2026
  • With each passing day, its oldster cast — including Alfred Molina, Alfre Woodard, and Geena Davis — is closer to the grave.
    — Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 31 May 2026
Definition of oldster
Noun
  • But after Dougan raised the concerns, the lawsuit says, his superiors took disciplinary action against him.
    — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Reuveni, who had been promoted to serve as the acting deputy director for the Office of Immigration Litigation, warned his superiors that the government might be in violation of the court order.
    — Eyal Press, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of superior
Noun
  • The discovery led to a complete redesign of the project, shifting the hotel inland to preserve the sacred site and honor the ancestors who remain there.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The small, troubled Trask family represents isolation, generational trauma and dysfunctional cycles in contrast to the large, loving and morally grounded Hamilton family, who are modeled after Steinbeck’s own maternal ancestors.
    — Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of ancestor
Noun
  • He was nominated for the award by his supervisor at Moraine Valley, Terra Jacobson, dean of Learning Resources, who also teaches a graduate class at Dominican, along with colleagues Marie Martino and Jayne Killackey.
    — Melinda Moore, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Guzman, a former law school dean who became provost in 2023, faced similar tests over protests and free speech.
    — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of dean
Noun
  • The hospital complex in San Francisco was ranked top nationally in several specialties as well, including geriatrics, pulmonology — the treatment of respiratory conditions — and lung surgery.
    — Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The report rated hospital performance in 14 specialties or specialty areas, ranging from cancer to geriatrics to urology.
    — Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of geriatric
Noun
  • Drivers knew the back entrances, the factory layouts, and the best path to the boss of a mom-and-pop workshop.
    — Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Serena tells him his former boss Elliott Wyatt recommended him highly, which is strange given his former reticence.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of boss
Noun
  • The 15-year veteran looked confident and capable against the Chiefs on Sunday, throwing for 365 yards and two touchdowns.
    — Pete Sweeney October 5, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2026
  • And considering the dearth of new mainstream stars — outside of Doechii and Don Toliver, other emerging talents have yet to commercially break through — hip-hop veterans have more of an opening to notch genuine hits.
    — Michael Saponara, Billboard, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of veteran
Noun
  • The exhibit features several dozen dinosaur animatronics that fully loom and roar, and a virtual aquarium stocked with swimming ancients.
    — Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 21 May 2026
  • Sitting alone among these ancients can be a profound experience.
    — Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025
Definition of ancient

Phrases Containing elder

Browse Nearby Words

el cheapo
elder
elderliness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Elder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elder. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on elder

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about elder

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of etiquette

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

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

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All