as in dean
the senior member of a group
the elder statesman of the White House correspondents is finally retiring after nearly a half century of service
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Recent Examples of elder statesman
Mandelson, a former Cabinet minister, ambassador and elder statesman of the governing Labor Party, has not been arrested or charged.
—
Sylvia Hui, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
Yet the overriding feeling of Light-Years is of two elder statesmen who still have gifts to share.
—Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 13 Dec. 2025
The game’s elder statesman Of course, 29 is much older than 21 — especially in college hoops.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2025
On a day when the last remaining Israeli hostages returned home after two years in captivity, and both Israelis and Palestinians celebrated the end of the Israel-Hamas war, many of America's elder statesmen and stateswomen kept mum.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elder statesman
Sylvia Hui, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
Yet the overriding feeling of Light-Years is of two elder statesmen who still have gifts to share.
—Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 13 Dec. 2025
The game’s elder statesman Of course, 29 is much older than 21 — especially in college hoops.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2025
On a day when the last remaining Israeli hostages returned home after two years in captivity, and both Israelis and Palestinians celebrated the end of the Israel-Hamas war, many of America's elder statesmen and stateswomen kept mum.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elder statesman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elder statesman
Noun
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On the cusp of his 90th birthday, the dean of Bay Area jazz pianism shares music and some first-hand accounts witnessing Davis and Coltrane in action in San Francisco.—
Andrew Gilbert,
San Francisco Chronicle,
26 Mar. 2026
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One associate dean couched the misstep as a result of learning pains tied to the adoption of new technology.—
Emily Hodgson Anderson,
The Conversation,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Paul Mukilya, the school’s manager, said parents often are not supportive and the school's outreach officers are left to seek agreement with community elders for students to attend.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2026
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Tobolowsky previously rejected motions from other Gateway elders, ruling that the suit was not a religious issue and could be handled in secular court.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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For three innings against the Washington Nationals, Boyd pitched like the veteran who earned his All-Star honor a year ago.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
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DeRozan, a 36-year-old veteran in his 17th NBA season, had another big game less than two weeks after posting 41 points and 11 assists in a win over the Utah Jazz.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elder statesman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elder%20statesman. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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