as in noblemen
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 grandees
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
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
Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grandees
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
Noun
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As a rule, royal governors were gentlemen, if not always gentlemen with experience.—
Stacy Schiff,
The Atlantic,
8 Oct. 2025
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Mid-Century Modern follows three gay gentlemen of a certain age (Lane, Bomer, Graham) who, after an unexpected death, decide to spend their golden years living together in Palm Springs, where the wealthiest one lives with his mother (Lavin).—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grandees.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grandees. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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