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
At Chapter One, Lira, with more than a decade on the job, has become the restaurant’s elder statesman.
—
Cindy Carcamo, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2025
Then there is the upstart turned elder statesman of the group, A24.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 12 June 2025
By the mid-2010s, Combs was fully reveling in his role as an elder statesman of rap.
—Kyndall Cunningham, Vox, 12 May 2025
Bottom line: Larry Fink is an elder statesman of sorts whose influence over other firms’ strategies is hard to overstate.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elder statesman
Cindy Carcamo, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2025
Then there is the upstart turned elder statesman of the group, A24.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 12 June 2025
By the mid-2010s, Combs was fully reveling in his role as an elder statesman of rap.
—Kyndall Cunningham, Vox, 12 May 2025
Bottom line: Larry Fink is an elder statesman of sorts whose influence over other firms’ strategies is hard to overstate.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elder statesman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elder statesman
Noun
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Honoree Fleming, a retired college dean, was shot dead in October 2023 while walking near her favorite trail near the Vermont State University campus in Castleton, Vt., the Associated Press reported at the time.—
NWA Democrat-Gazette,
Arkansas Online,
8 Aug. 2025
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Blake Fabrikant has seen the benefits of phone-free schools as the dean of students at The Sharon Academy, a small independent high school in Sharon, Vt.—
Charlotte Alter,
Time,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Since her freshman year, Elizabeth has been visiting a local hospice—playing piano for elders, going on walks with them, and learning about their lives.—
Joshua Bennett,
The Atlantic,
15 Aug. 2025
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These companies have even been caught intentionally selling scammers data belonging to elders (who, unsurprisingly, later fell victim to elder fraud).—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Rod is an industry veteran with a proven history of critical and commercial success, including BioShock Infinite, Gears of War, and Diablo.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
19 Aug. 2025
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The Dolphins augmented their cornerback room on Wednesday, adding veteran Cameron Dantzler Sr., who made 26 starts for the Minnesota Vikings earlier this decade but has been out of the league for the past year-and-a-half.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
19 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Elder statesman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elder%20statesman. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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