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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of elder
According to the Smithsonian, the festival period is an important holiday for families, with people traveling back to their hometowns and elders preparing family meals.
—
Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 2 Jan. 2026
Including knowledge from Indigenous tribal elders, fire management professionals and other community members can provide more robust fire education and understanding of the roles people play in fire risk and risk reduction.
—Elizabeth A. Logan, The Conversation, 29 Dec. 2025
The difficulty of the burial was itself meaningful, reflecting a great degree of respect for elders and social standing within the community.
—New Atlas, 27 Dec. 2025
In addition to those looking to stay sober, Porter said, there’ll be activities for the entire family, from babies to elders.
—Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elder
Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 2 Jan. 2026
Including knowledge from Indigenous tribal elders, fire management professionals and other community members can provide more robust fire education and understanding of the roles people play in fire risk and risk reduction.
—Elizabeth A. Logan, The Conversation, 29 Dec. 2025
The difficulty of the burial was itself meaningful, reflecting a great degree of respect for elders and social standing within the community.
—New Atlas, 27 Dec. 2025
In addition to those looking to stay sober, Porter said, there’ll be activities for the entire family, from babies to elders.
—Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elder
Noun
-
Ten-year-olds are saving their allowances for $70 moisturizers and $90 serums, mimicking influencer routines meant for adults.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Two adults and a pet were displaced Sunday afternoon after two houses caught on fire in Kansas City.—
Noelle Alviz-Gransee,
Kansas City Star,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Since the operation that captured Maduro, numerous generals have effectively disappeared, failing to report to their units or communicate with superiors.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
6 Jan. 2026
-
In Humphrey Cobb’s 1935 novel about a trio of French soldiers condemned to death at random by their cowardly superiors, Kubrick found a perfect vessel for his obsessions.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
31 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
In October 2024, the lab firm used genealogical mapping, in which unidentified DNA is traced to relatives and ancestors to produce a more precise genetic profile and possible identity, to point to Contreras, according to the affidavit.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Over ten million years ago, long before the human species existed, our hominid ancestors adapted to metabolize alcohol.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Many of the homes that have collapsed were hundreds of feet away from the ocean’s shoreline when they were initially built, said Reide Corbett, the dean of the Coastal Studies Institute at East Carolina University.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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In his nearly 20 years in Miami as dean of the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and of all things jazz in this town, Berg has proven his knack for bringing unexpected combinations of great artists together under one roof.—
Helena Alonso Paisley,
Miami Herald,
4 Nov. 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
-
The fascination with boss-employee relationships will probably never fade.—
Emily Nix,
Fortune,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Another individual familiar with events said Turness, the boss of BBC News, has repeatedly made efforts to get the corporation to respond to Prescott’s memo.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The agreement includes bipartisan bills worked out by the Senate Appropriations Committee to fund parts of government — food aid, veterans programs and the legislative branch, among other things.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Mills and the Texans’ offense scored a touchdown on all three of their fourth-quarter drives, including the veteran quarterback capping a 14-play, 93-yard drive with a 14-yard run to complete the comeback and give Houston a 30-29 lead — its first of the game.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Janice Grandi is a primary care physician working in geriatrics.—
Janice Grandi,
Mercury News,
24 Dec. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Elder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elder. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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