as in nobleman
a man of high birth or social position
only a Spanish grandee—and no one of lesser rank—can address comments to the king and queen of Spain
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Recent Examples of grandee
An editor could pick up the phone and try to get a former secretary of state or the treasury, a grandee of the House or Senate, and probably even ex-president or vice-president and pitch them to review a book with a reasonable chance of success.
—
Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
Suffice it to say, with credentials such as this, a charivari of fashion-week regulars, media, film and musical grandees and not a few New York and London tatterdemalions showed for the September 12 bacchanal on Church Street.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
In those days, the thing to do when opening a new store was partner with a local charity to host a big event: Make nice with the hometown grandees, bring in some likely customers.
—Gene Pressman, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2025
Instead, the concept has been perverted to mean higher-ed grandees' exclusive right to determine who participates in scholarly life.
—Ilya Shapiro, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grandee
Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
Suffice it to say, with credentials such as this, a charivari of fashion-week regulars, media, film and musical grandees and not a few New York and London tatterdemalions showed for the September 12 bacchanal on Church Street.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
In those days, the thing to do when opening a new store was partner with a local charity to host a big event: Make nice with the hometown grandees, bring in some likely customers.
—Gene Pressman, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2025
Instead, the concept has been perverted to mean higher-ed grandees' exclusive right to determine who participates in scholarly life.
—Ilya Shapiro, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grandee
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grandee
Noun
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The sprawling Northamptonshire property was first granted to Norman nobleman Geoffrey of Mowbray following the 11th-century Norman Conquest, later passing to Isabel de Bruce—the grandmother of Scottish king Robert the Bruce—before eventually returning to the English crown in the 14th century.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
26 May 2026
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Two French soldiers carry the Infanta of Spain’s portrait to young Louis XIV, joined by Alejandro, a Spanish nobleman enthralled by science, colonization and the New World’s promises.—
Callum McLennan,
Variety,
11 May 2026
Noun
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Ryan Gosling, 2024 The original gentleman who preferred blondes?—
Alex Apatoff,
PEOPLE,
1 June 2026
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Deborah Vance, who did NOT die, ladies and gentlemen and they/thems!—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grandee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grandee. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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