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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 statesman
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
An elder statesman in the field of neuroplasticity, Merzenich and two other scientists received the prestigious Kavli Award in Neuroscience in 2016 for their groundbreaking discoveries that the adult brain could change, adapt and create new neural connections throughout life.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 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
Moda Moda is something of an elder statesman in the Pittsburgh retail scene, having opened in 1990.
—Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elder statesman
Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2025
An elder statesman in the field of neuroplasticity, Merzenich and two other scientists received the prestigious Kavli Award in Neuroscience in 2016 for their groundbreaking discoveries that the adult brain could change, adapt and create new neural connections throughout life.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 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
Moda Moda is something of an elder statesman in the Pittsburgh retail scene, having opened in 1990.
—Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elder statesman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elder statesman
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
-
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
-
An omnibus federal program run cooperatively with states, Medicaid in Connecticut supports medical and behavioral health services, substance abuse treatment, and nursing home and in-home elder care in Connecticut.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The room erupted in laughter, capturing perfectly the resilience, joy and perspective that so many elders carry with them.—
Norman B. Gildin,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Jan. 2026
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
Cite this Entry
“Elder statesman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elder%20statesman. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share