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 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
Boasting 14 years of NBA experience, Middleton joins Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Dwight Powell and Jones as Dallas’ elder statesmen.
—Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 11 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
Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2026
Boasting 14 years of NBA experience, Middleton joins Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Dwight Powell and Jones as Dallas’ elder statesmen.
—Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 11 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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Pageants, deans' lists, graduations or military enlistments are not accepted.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Mar. 2026
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In conducting the self-review, however, Khator and some of her academic deans sent communications to faculty that referenced the new state law, which doesn’t contain any reference to indoctrination.—
Samantha Ketterer,
Houston Chronicle,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Lilian suspected that the Hazels of the world would often be reminded by their elders to be grateful and happy, as though gratitude would guarantee happiness, or else a happy façade would take the sting off that onerous task of feeling grateful.—
Yiyun Li,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
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Born in India, Khot came to the United States 30 years ago with his parents, who emphasized education and respect for elders.—
Robert McCoppin,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Verbeek and coach Joel Quenneville’s defense corps now features three veterans on the right side and a younger mix, with LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger, on the left.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
7 Mar. 2026
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Some senior veterans on Long Island are travelling the world again without leaving their nursing home.—
Carolyn Gusoff,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elder statesmen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elder%20statesmen. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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