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 This could’ve been a story of seasoned elders welcoming a new voice into their fold. — Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026 For 40 years, Young Dance has welcomed dancers who are babies to dancers who are elders, as well as dancers of all abilities. — Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield, CBS News, 5 Oct. 2026 And, a consistent thread over the years, many students were interested in learning from their elders – everything from family histories to intergenerational advice and tough conversations about grief. — Janet W. Lee, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026 Indigenous Australians use the titles ‘uncle’ and ‘aunt’ as marks of respect for community elders. — ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026 The findings come from interviews with eight members of the Sabaot Indigenous community, including wildlife scouts, guides, elders and a retired ranger, who have spent more than 20 years observing elephants in the region. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026 The feeling of having this community of students and friends and mentors and elders, also the texture and the culture of HBCUs, and then the political consciousness of the show. — Brande Victorian, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026 On one side there has been Paden, backed by a contingent of supporters that has included family, church elders, the former bank president and other prominent residents. — Glenn Rice, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026 And Democratic elders, including former President Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have urged their party to treat the threats posed by AI as an acute national security crisis. — Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for elders

Noun

Of the young adults that comprise Ellora’s defense force, earnest airbender Jae (Major Curda) and himbo waterbender Daemin (Darren Barnet) make for a particularly amusing pairing.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
The kind of life admin tasks like swim lesson sign-ups and appointment confirmations that pile up with alarming frequency in a house of one preschool-age kid and two adults with full-time jobs.

— Allison Johnson, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of adults

Noun

But after Dougan raised the concerns, the lawsuit says, his superiors took disciplinary action against him.

— Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026
Reuveni, who had been promoted to serve as the acting deputy director for the Office of Immigration Litigation, warned his superiors that the government might be in violation of the court order.

— Eyal Press, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of superiors

Noun

The discovery led to a complete redesign of the project, shifting the hotel inland to preserve the sacred site and honor the ancestors who remain there.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
The small, troubled Trask family represents isolation, generational trauma and dysfunctional cycles in contrast to the large, loving and morally grounded Hamilton family, who are modeled after Steinbeck’s own maternal ancestors.

— Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of ancestors

Noun

The university says that Glover, in his position as executive advisor, will work with the gamut of university leadership, including the president, provost and college deans.

— Josh Dinner, Space.com, 15 Sep. 2026
His boyish looks notwithstanding, Kiernan is now one of the deans of New York television, approaching his 30th year on NY1.

— Dade Hayes, Deadline, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of deans

Noun

At least 22 Colombian veterans, working for a Florida security contractor, are believed to have been involved in a July 2021 raid on the home of Moïse that resulted in his assassination.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
It is founded by entertainment industry veterans Jana Winograde, Susan Rovner, and Lloyd Braun.

— Joe Otterson, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of veterans

Noun

Admission costs $33 for adults (12-64) and children (2-11), $28 for seniors (65 and over) and is free for children under 2.

— John Coffren, Baltimore Sun, 8 Oct. 2026
The latest takedown is part of Operation Blackout, the FBI's international campaign to dismantle scam compounds that prey on Americans, particularly seniors.

— Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026