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
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
My teachers were my hula halau, community elders, and family.
—
Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
Long story short, a teenaged Bolles was on a grueling mountain hike with his troop, and his elders challenged him to finish the darn thing.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 24 Feb. 2026
Habib Ullah, a local tribal elder, said those killed in the strikes were not militants.
—Munir Ahmed, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
Habib Ullah, a local tribal elder, said those killed in the strikes were not militants.
—ABC News, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for elder
Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
Long story short, a teenaged Bolles was on a grueling mountain hike with his troop, and his elders challenged him to finish the darn thing.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 24 Feb. 2026
Habib Ullah, a local tribal elder, said those killed in the strikes were not militants.
—Munir Ahmed, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
Habib Ullah, a local tribal elder, said those killed in the strikes were not militants.
—ABC News, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for elder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elder
Noun
-
Hundreds of anti-ICE protesters, from teenagers to seniors, gathered on the building’s lawn, next to a replica of the Statue of Liberty.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
11 Mar. 2026
-
By analyzing data on life expectancy, chronic conditions, disability, mental distress, and physical inactivity among adults 65 and older, home medical bed company Opera Beds identified where seniors have the best quality of life.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Polymeropoulos described a case involving a serviceman who was treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and recommended for the Purple Heart by his superiors.—
Brit McCandless Farmer,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
-
But there’s this thing that his superior tells him about and that could be a major career move for him… a career maker.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Intelligent, tool-using species — including our direct ancestors — have been around for millions of years.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Uncovering an ancient ancestor At first, scientists thought the ancient microbial ancestor of complex life was a simple cell, dwelling in oxygen-free environments.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Pageants, deans' lists, graduations or military enlistments are not accepted.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Susan Murin, dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine, said the projects these students are working on could one day help save lives.—
James Taylor,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Most oldsters like myself still will probably find revisiting the piece enjoyable.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Those devoted to the Charli cause will no doubt get more out of the film than an out-of-touch oldster like myself ever could.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Initially premiering at the Midnight Screening at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, Gangster Cop Devil tells of a police officer and a crime boss who reluctantly team-up to track down a serial killer.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
-
David will play his boss, Garner Taggert, who runs the Garner Taggart PI Agency where his son Mitch and Mickey are the main PIs.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson was again able to negotiate a higher-than-expected return for one of his veterans, the other being a 2028 second-round draft pick for defenseman Connor Murphy.—
Kalen Lumpkins,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
-
A day after landing veteran defenseman Tyler Myers, the Stars added some scoring depth in a deal with Nashville for Michael Bunting.—
SportsDay Staff,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Prescriptions were especially high across the South and among older patients more vulnerable to COVID, says Dr. John Mafi at University of California, Los Angeles, who specializes in geriatrics and tracked ivermectin prescriptions.—
Yuki Noguchi,
NPR,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Specialists in geriatrics know that most falls have multiple causes – and that practical steps like reviewing medications or improving home safety can prevent the next one.—
Jerry Gurwitz,
The Conversation,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elder. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
