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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Recent Examples of elder statesman
Mandelson, a former Cabinet minister, ambassador and elder statesman of the governing Labour Party, has not been arrested or charged.
—
CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for elder statesman
CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for elder statesman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elder statesman
Noun
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While some community colleges, including the College of DuPage, hold homecomings, the committee didn’t look to them for ideas, said Amybeth Maurer, assistant dean of the student experience and engagement.—
Mike Danahey,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2026
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Before serving as president of the University of Alabama, Bell served as provost and professor of engineering at Louisiana State University and as dean of the School of Engineering and professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Kansas.—
Ana Goñi-Lessan,
Sun Sentinel,
10 June 2026
Noun
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Appleberry was arraigned May 27 in Placer Superior Court, charged with causing injury to an elder or dependent adult, battery causing serious bodily injury, assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury and battery against an emergency worker.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
8 June 2026
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The workforce’s youngest cohort has been labeled lazy, entitled, and unrelentingly pessimistic by their elders.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
8 June 2026
Noun
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In goal, the team has brought back veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, who allowed just three goals in the three games in Qatar.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
12 June 2026
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Cabrera is a veteran of both the MPWW and the Minnesota carceral system, and joins Lost Kite as a multimedia editor.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elder statesman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elder%20statesman. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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