as in elder statesman
the senior member of a group
the revered éminence grise of Civil War historians
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Recent Examples of éminence grise
But none have matched JPMorgan, which, under the leadership of Wall Street’s eminence grise Jamie Dimon, has thrived.
—
Paolo Confino, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2024
Belafonte was 57, an eminence grise in entertainment, and his participation motivated lots of artists who admired him.
—Rob Tannenbaum, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2024
Federer serving in the Sinatra/Clooney part as the eminence grise.
—Jason Gay, WSJ, 24 Sep. 2022
That emotionally astute author, the eminence grise, the institutional memory.
—Washington Post, 29 Dec. 2021
Matthews is an eminence grise of television news, his pugilistic and red-cheeked persona familiar to viewers from countless election nights.
—BostonGlobe.com, 2 Mar. 2020
In the world of the candle obsessed, Diptyque is the eminence grise.
—Kathleen Hou, The Cut, 16 Jan. 2018
Paolo Confino, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2024
Belafonte was 57, an eminence grise in entertainment, and his participation motivated lots of artists who admired him.
—Rob Tannenbaum, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2024
Federer serving in the Sinatra/Clooney part as the eminence grise.
—Jason Gay, WSJ, 24 Sep. 2022
That emotionally astute author, the eminence grise, the institutional memory.
—Washington Post, 29 Dec. 2021
Matthews is an eminence grise of television news, his pugilistic and red-cheeked persona familiar to viewers from countless election nights.
—BostonGlobe.com, 2 Mar. 2020
In the world of the candle obsessed, Diptyque is the eminence grise.
—Kathleen Hou, The Cut, 16 Jan. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for éminence grise
Noun
-
As vilification of the Founders and the Revolution became more common, both in academia and in society at large, Wood functioned as part elder statesman and part lightning rod.—
Craig Bruce Smith,
The Atlantic,
9 June 2026
-
The Rangers need another strong campaign from the two elder statesmen on the starting staff.—
Tim Cowlishaw,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In goal, the team has brought back veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, who allowed just three goals in the three games in Qatar.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
12 June 2026
-
Cabrera is a veteran of both the MPWW and the Minnesota carceral system, and joins Lost Kite as a multimedia editor.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
While some community colleges, including the College of DuPage, hold homecomings, the committee didn’t look to them for ideas, said Amybeth Maurer, assistant dean of the student experience and engagement.—
Mike Danahey,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2026
-
Before serving as president of the University of Alabama, Bell served as provost and professor of engineering at Louisiana State University and as dean of the School of Engineering and professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Kansas.—
Ana Goñi-Lessan,
Sun Sentinel,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Appleberry was arraigned May 27 in Placer Superior Court, charged with causing injury to an elder or dependent adult, battery causing serious bodily injury, assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury and battery against an emergency worker.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
8 June 2026
-
The workforce’s youngest cohort has been labeled lazy, entitled, and unrelentingly pessimistic by their elders.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“éminence grise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/%C3%A9minence%20grise. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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