as in deans
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 statesmen
The Rangers need another strong campaign from the two elder statesmen on the starting staff.
—
Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News, 23 Mar. 2026
The franchise’s elder statesmen understand that Jokic is an inextricable aspect of any conversation about Murray’s developing legacy.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 15 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
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
Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News, 23 Mar. 2026
The franchise’s elder statesmen understand that Jokic is an inextricable aspect of any conversation about Murray’s developing legacy.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 15 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elder statesmen
Noun
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Lloyd was born in Berkeley and raised in Lafayette by his parents, Lester Lloyd, one of the deans of the San Francisco printing industry, and Mildred Lloyd, a librarian at Stanley Middle School.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
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But if the online tool cannot be turned back on safely, school officials will work with deans, department heads, and instructors regarding alternate ways to end the semester, sharing more information before noon Sunday.—
William Lee,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
Noun
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The younger generation, broadly, is more online than its elders, and that includes the newest generation of service members, who are frequently reminded about things like tracking data and sharing information online that could unintentionally aid adversaries.—
Mike Brest,
The Washington Examiner,
28 May 2026
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The church elders welcomed the soft-spoken, articulate Latino whose maternal grandfather, Abraham Fernandez, was a Presbyterian minister.—
Richard J. Gonzales,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 May 2026
Noun
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The Avs are short on draft picks and prospects to use in trades, but there are also lots of teams with plenty of cap space who might want to add one of the Colorado veterans.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
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Three of those bands’ key members — Toto guitarist-vocalist Steve Lukather, former Average White Bands bassist/singer Hamish Stewart and Men At Work singer-guitarist Colin Hay — are All-Starr Band veterans.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elder statesmen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elder%20statesmen. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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