1
as in adults
a person of advanced years
in that Asian society elders are accorded great respect
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in ancestors
one who is older than another
it wouldn't hurt to show a little more respect for your elders
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of elders
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
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, 18 Feb. 2026
Kangidluasuk serves as a base for Parks Canada researchers and Inuit elders who pass on their historic and cultural knowledge to the youths.
—Robert Annis, Travel + Leisure, 16 Feb. 2026
According to the Smithsonian, the festival period is an important holiday for families, with people traveling back to their hometowns and elders preparing family meals.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 16 Feb. 2026
The club’s elders, Uli Hoeness and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, present a separate challenge.
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
On top of that, child care has become a second mortgage as has caring for your elders.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
Kim and Chung, who is Korean-American, reflected on the role of elders in Korean culture and taught the rest of the room the traditions for pouring and receiving drinks in a respectful way.
—Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 12 Feb. 2026
Few and far between were the Black elders who would greet you and expect a greeting in return, replaced by young white professionals and families who offered awkward smiles and occasional small talk when forced into proximity.
—Naomi Jackson, Curbed, 11 Feb. 2026
Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 24 Feb. 2026
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, 18 Feb. 2026
Kangidluasuk serves as a base for Parks Canada researchers and Inuit elders who pass on their historic and cultural knowledge to the youths.
—Robert Annis, Travel + Leisure, 16 Feb. 2026
According to the Smithsonian, the festival period is an important holiday for families, with people traveling back to their hometowns and elders preparing family meals.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 16 Feb. 2026
The club’s elders, Uli Hoeness and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, present a separate challenge.
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
On top of that, child care has become a second mortgage as has caring for your elders.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
Kim and Chung, who is Korean-American, reflected on the role of elders in Korean culture and taught the rest of the room the traditions for pouring and receiving drinks in a respectful way.
—Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 12 Feb. 2026
Few and far between were the Black elders who would greet you and expect a greeting in return, replaced by young white professionals and families who offered awkward smiles and occasional small talk when forced into proximity.
—Naomi Jackson, Curbed, 11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elders
Noun
-
Staying here is like stepping into an ultra-chic, adults-only Airbnb with the comforts of a boutique hotel.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 Feb. 2026
-
However, adults 65 years and older and children younger than two are at higher risk of developing complications from the flu.—
Koko Nakajima,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Around this time, a young Israeli national-security official reached the same conclusion and began urging his superiors to organize an internal coup against Assad.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
-
But when Commissioner Marty Makary presented that list for sign-off to the Health and Human Services Department, which oversees the FDA, and to the White House in October, his superiors shot it down, the people said.—
Elaine Chen,
STAT,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The further in the past your dog has purebred ancestors, the smaller the identical segments matching our reference dataset are.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Being alone would’ve made our ancestors more vulnerable to, say, bears or lions.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
19 Feb. 2026
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
-
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
-
Apollo, Carlyle and KKR have all recently hired veterans from the retirement and fund industry.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
21 Feb. 2026
-
The Grizzlies have won 13 in a row, swept District 25-5A and feature savvy and talented veterans in Dallas Hernandez and Orden Roberts.—
Colby Gordon,
Austin American Statesman,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Most oldsters like myself still will probably find revisiting the piece enjoyable.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
-
But Italian brainrot’s invisible massiveness, totally foreign to oldsters but beloved by children across continents and languages, is a compelling and chilling showcase of our frazzled internet culture landscape.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Last year, thanks to a Prebys Healing Through the Arts grant, Resounding Joy brought music to 50 participants in Mama’s Kitchen’s senior nutrition program, which delivers free meals to homebound medically fragile seniors in need.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
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So while the Bruins and their core of six seniors are trying to maximize this season, a successful program is defined by consistent dominance, year over year.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In 2021, only 10% of medical schools required geriatrics courses, down from 23% in 2005, and only about 38 percent included the training as part of, say, their internal medicine programs.—
Howard Gleckman,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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Janice Grandi is a primary care physician working in geriatrics.—
Janice Grandi,
Mercury News,
24 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Elders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elders. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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