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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There are no deans or Title IX officers intervening.—
Jennifer Wilson,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
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Pageants, deans' lists, graduations or military enlistments are not accepted.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But Gen Z is now the most active cinemagoing demographic, attending more films per year than their elders, according to a new Fandango study.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2026
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One of the pillars of the Tongan Polynesian culture is to respect your elders.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Caterpillar veteran Kyle Epley was promoted to CFO effective May 1, at which time Bonfield will assume an advisory role.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
9 Apr. 2026
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Average and median salaries decline over the course of the season as veterans are released and replaced by younger players making closer to the minimum.—
Ronald Blum,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elder statesman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elder%20statesman. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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