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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Example Sentences
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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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Christina Economos, dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts, said diet is a primary driver of preventable disease.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
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Dave Chappelle Has Long-Standing Ties to Yellow Springs Chappelle was raised in Maryland but spent summers in the village, where his father served as dean of students at Antioch College.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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These are our children, our parents, our siblings, our elders, our neighbors, and our loved ones.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
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Epstein realized the Beatles needed to be freshly scrubbed in order to play in the spaces controlled by the entertainment elders who booked bands and controlled the old‑school show‑business platforms.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Cheadle clearly figured out that his main job here is to cue her up and get out of her way; that is greatly to this veteran actor’s credit.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
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Retired salesman and Air Force veteran Bud Levell, 72, has spent most of his life repairing old radios, machines and anything with wires.—
Amelia Mugavero,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elder statesman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elder%20statesman. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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