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 The woman Morris was convicted of abusing, Cindy Clemishire, has filed a $1 million defamation suit against Morris, the church, former and current elders, and a former church employee in Dallas County. — Giles Hudson, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026 Its inhabitants remain largely indifferent to the independence movement; village elders reason that freedom will benefit the educated while cultivators will merely exchange one set of masters for another. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 July 2026 Young orcas then gobbled up fish fragments that drifted through the water as their elders tore into what was left of the sunfish’s corpse. — Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 23 July 2026 The Garden have certainly earned respect from their peers, elders and juniors since forming in 2011. — Josh Chesler, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026 Many of those elders wanted to express their personal connection to the film’s story, something Riedel regards as a part of his reconnection to his community. — Jennie Punter, Variety, 21 July 2026 But Nia showed a talent for transmitting the scene’s legacy and ethos to a bigger, younger audience while pushing the envelope with her own sound, appearing current while earning crucial co-signs from scene elders like Goldie, DJ Die, and Randall. — Will Pritchard, Pitchfork, 20 July 2026 Or maybe the Medicare and Medicaid benefits that have been cut, leaving our elders unable to afford care and medicine? — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 13 July 2026 Then everyone—women, children, elders—search the ground with sticks and collect the walnuts. — Katherine Rochester, Artforum, 10 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for elders

Noun

From faux foliage on the ceiling to animal sounds playing softly in the bathroom stalls, the whole experience feels as if the Rainforest Cafe was rebranded for adults with deep pockets.

— Connie Ogle July 31, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
The study included 49 adults who ate tortilla chips and salsa once a week for two weeks, alternating between mild and spicy.

— Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 July 2026

Definition of adults

Noun

So Parker telephoned the base posing as the doctor of Adams’ supposedly ailing mother and talked the young soldier’s superiors into issuing an emergency furlough.

— Dan Kelly July 28, Kansas City Star, 28 July 2026
Trying to burn down the entire rest of the ecosystem might profit the SEC or Big Ten and their television superiors in the short run, maybe even the long run.

— Jason Kirk, New York Times, 24 July 2026

Definition of superiors

Noun

Travelers who’d rather be outside should drive south on Snake River Road to Buffalo Eddy, where hundreds of petroglyphs etched into the basalt by Nez Perce ancestors thousands of years ago remain visible from the riverbank.

— Lauren Mowery, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
In Tenet, warriors from the future punish the present because their world is ravaged by climate change caused by us, their ancestors.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 July 2026

Definition of ancestors

Noun

Many members are military veterans, making that mission personal.

— Erin Jones, CBS News, 31 July 2026
Congress granted veterans who served at the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune an exception because of severe groundwater contamination that sickened thousands of veterans and their families who served and lived on the base between 1953 and 1987.

— Nicole Borman, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026

Definition of veterans

Noun

Innovation should not come at the expense of people with disabilities, seniors, or public safety.

— DP Opinion, Denver Post, 25 July 2026
Yes, seniors must pay property taxes, but many states and municipalities offer senior property tax exemptions, freezes, or deferral programs that significantly lower the annual bill for older homeowners.

— Nick Perry, USA Today, 24 July 2026