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
Moda Moda is something of an elder statesman in the Pittsburgh retail scene, having opened in 1990.
—
Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 8 Oct. 2025
Best Primetime Kits Novak Djokovic: Lacoste Novak Djokovic looked the part of tennis’ elder statesman in his black Lacoste kit paired with his signature Court FF 3 Novak Night Energy shoes from Asics.
—Merlisa Lawrence Corbett, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
The Lakers will reportedly host two of the league’s elder statesmen in a pair of their 2025-26 marquee matchups.
—Khobi Price, Oc Register, 8 Aug. 2025
His passing also removes a key elder statesman from Nigeria's political landscape at a time when the country continues grappling with security challenges, economic instability, and corruption issues that defined much of his tenure.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for elder statesman
Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 8 Oct. 2025
Best Primetime Kits Novak Djokovic: Lacoste Novak Djokovic looked the part of tennis’ elder statesman in his black Lacoste kit paired with his signature Court FF 3 Novak Night Energy shoes from Asics.
—Merlisa Lawrence Corbett, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
The Lakers will reportedly host two of the league’s elder statesmen in a pair of their 2025-26 marquee matchups.
—Khobi Price, Oc Register, 8 Aug. 2025
His passing also removes a key elder statesman from Nigeria's political landscape at a time when the country continues grappling with security challenges, economic instability, and corruption issues that defined much of his tenure.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for elder statesman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elder statesman
Noun
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Its meandering path took it over some of the warmest ocean water temperatures, said Claudia Benitez-Nelson, an oceanographer and senior associate dean at the University of South Carolina.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
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Like Kilpatrick, Howard associate dean Ingrid Sturgis said the school is updating its site and would soon restore the specific reference to Terez.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But her anger towards the man who assaulted her, and the village elders who blamed her for her trauma, remains.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
5 Nov. 2025
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Sanger's father was a seabird biologist, but also served as a church elder.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Anyone who doesn’t hold the same nostalgic hankering for veteran actresses holding court with one-woman shows might not be blamed for opting out.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
2 Nov. 2025
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He was released after a few weeks in jail when filmmaker Jen Gatien pledged her $2 million Manhattan apartment where the combat veteran was living as collateral for a bond.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Elder statesman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elder%20statesman. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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