ELDERS Synonyms: 73 Similar and Opposite Words

elders

noun

plural of elder

as in adults

a person of advanced years in that Asian society elders are accorded great respect

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as in superiors

one who is above another in rank, station, or office as your elder in the company, he is within his rights to tell you what to do

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as in ancestors

one who is older than another it wouldn't hurt to show a little more respect for your elders

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as in deans

the senior member of a group as the elder of the contingent of living former presidents, he was accorded a place of highest honor at the ceremonies

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of elders Her plans include creating a ballroom, cultural and arts center where younger people can practice, newcomers can learn the history and elders can transfer their knowledge. — Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026 One bathroom had no toilet seat and there was no lighting in a stairwell used by elders unsure of their footing. — Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026 Although congregations have elders, families are the main conduit for ritual and belief. — Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2026 The cultural boundaries that bind many Black communities, such as the respect for elders and aunties alike, were honored and respected in informal communication – and sometimes in coverage. — Danielle K. Brown, The Conversation, 20 Aug. 2026 Grandparents transfer cultural values and practical wisdom to other family members, while younger family members are obliged to take care of their elders as time goes by. — Kaitlyn Gomez, Charlotte Observer, 17 Aug. 2026 After four days, Ayesha says her family secured her release with the help of community elders, paying a ransom, and providing a formal guarantee of her future conduct. — Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Aug. 2026 As someone who enjoys history, it's been great listening to the history of the country and the city unfold alongside our neighborhood elders' lives. — Kynala Phillips, jsonline.com, 14 Aug. 2026 Over the course of the last three weeks, some of the biggest names in the business of reporting on (and pontificating about) sports media have transformed themselves into a scruffy simulacrum of the town elders from Footloose. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for elders

Noun

Pew’s latest Religious Landscape Study found that 62% of US adults identified as Christian in 2023-24, while 29% had no religious affiliation.

— Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
Worse, our population is aging, and the number of working adults contributing to the tax base is dwindling.

— Washington Post, Washington Post, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of adults

Noun

About Premium Content has Country Spy, a light crime series about Marie-Line Maupain, a spy for the French secret service who is abruptly frozen out by her superiors and sent back to her home town.

— Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2026
If both parties are PLA members, superiors must step in to mediate the relationship breakdown, and the couple can only get a civil divorce with the military’s approval, which can result in a longer process.

— Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of superiors

Noun

Each academic school hosts their own ceremony, with students attending various departments — plus deans and senior leadership — all clad in their cardinal and gold regalia, marching behind their banners across the campus.

— Staff report, Daily News, 20 Aug. 2026
Continue reading … 'THIS IS RIDICULOUS' — Med school deans come up empty in tense hearing when asked point blank if men can have babies.

— , FOXNews.com, 15 July 2026

Definition of deans

Noun

The cost to book the arena in those days was a whopping $1,000 a night, though that was discounted to $688 for the American Legion veterans.

— Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Sep. 2026
The new microdramas platform from Hollywood veterans Jana Winograde, Susan Rovner and Lloyd Braun has launched with an initial slate of projects spanning the horror, comedy and animation genres.

— Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of veterans

Noun

The crash killed Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams, all seniors at Pepperdine University in Malibu and members of the Alpha Phi sorority.

— Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2026
That abyss, by the way, has spit out 19 seniors being selected to the Hall in the last seven years.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026