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
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
Their accomplishments also earned them the attention of the grandees in Beijing.
—Foreign Affairs, 1 Jan. 2025
To go on about Volcker—who surely was an excellent Fed chair—is to mistake grandees for the action that mattered.
—Brian Domitrovic, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
Or has the shock of encountering the wild variety of views visible on Elon Musk’s X just been too much for grandees used to moving in circles where the acceptable boundaries of disagreement are narrowly drawn?
—The Editors, National Review, 10 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for grandee
Ilya Shapiro, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025
Their accomplishments also earned them the attention of the grandees in Beijing.
—Foreign Affairs, 1 Jan. 2025
To go on about Volcker—who surely was an excellent Fed chair—is to mistake grandees for the action that mattered.
—Brian Domitrovic, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
Or has the shock of encountering the wild variety of views visible on Elon Musk’s X just been too much for grandees used to moving in circles where the acceptable boundaries of disagreement are narrowly drawn?
—The Editors, National Review, 10 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for grandee
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grandee
Noun
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Hermès traces its history to 1837 as a harness workshop for European noblemen, and today, the company still has a healthy equestrian business.—
Jean E. Palmieri,
Footwear News,
16 Oct. 2025
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This undead, blood-sucking Transylvanian nobleman was the creation of the Anglo-Irish author Bram Stoker.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Edouard Langlois, a formidable dark-bearded gentleman, was the artistic director of the local Edwin Booth Theatre.—
Robert Eggers,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Oct. 2025
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Golf has been a gentleman’s sport.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grandee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grandee. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.
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