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
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
-
Jahneel Small, chief of staff and special organizing projects for Educators for Excellence, worked as a teacher and dean of students for 17 years.—
Theo Peck-Suzuki,
Hartford Courant,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Prior to becoming interim principal, Misicka was Larkin’s assistant principal of culture and climate for six years and freshman dean of students for two years.—
Mike Danahey,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Seeing East African and Southeast Asian elders sitting by the windows of their apartments, watching the streets, brought back memories of growing up near Siigaale Market, and watching people with my grandparents.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Kangidluasuk serves as a base for Parks Canada researchers and Inuit elders who pass on their historic and cultural knowledge to the youths.—
Robert Annis,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
That’s when Young and Davis are expected to be the top veterans on a team that features a young nucleus that includes Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibaly, Tre Johnson, Bub Carrington, Will Riley and others.—
Josh Robbins,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2026
-
With two veterans gone, Coach Tyronn Lue will be looking deeper down the bench for help, especially late in games.—
Janis Carr,
Oc Register,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elder statesman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elder%20statesman. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
