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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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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Additionally, the university gave deans of schools and colleges the opportunity to request exemptions for non-core curriculum courses.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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The university says students will have the option to attend some classes virtually, depending on their courses, and guidance on that will come from their deans' offices.—
Ubah Ali,
CBS News,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Long story short, a teenaged Bolles was on a grueling mountain hike with his troop, and his elders challenged him to finish the darn thing.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
24 Feb. 2026
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Seeing East African and Southeast Asian elders sitting by the windows of their apartments, watching the streets, brought back memories of growing up near Siigaale Market, and watching people with my grandparents.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Last season, the Horns got a taste of their first Final Four since 2023 and return a nice mix of veterans and young up-and-comers to try to make a return trip to the national semifinals.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
28 Feb. 2026
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Her ideas range from a dog adoption event at each stadium to bringing in local veterans as volunteer staff for the games.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elder statesmen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elder%20statesmen. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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