maven

noun

ˈmā-vən How to pronounce maven (audio)
variants also mavin
Definition of mavennext
1
as in expert
a person with a high level of knowledge or skill in a field an investment maven, he was doing well even when the market was doing poorly

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lover
a person with a strong and habitual liking for something a science-fiction maven who could talk for hours about fictional technology

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of maven To his friends and family, Salahodeen Abdul-Kafi had always been a barbecue maven. — Maven Navarro, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Aug. 2026 The actress turned beauty maven has previously raved about the Lipofix Neck Firming and Lifting Sheet Mask, a plumping and tightening treatment for dry, crepey, mature skin. — Essence Wiley, InStyle, 26 Aug. 2026 Chicago rapper and burgeoning book maven Noname is gearing up for a 10th anniversary tour for her debut mixtape Telefone. — Alex Suskind, Pitchfork, 22 July 2026 Georgia, after establishing herself as a non-hands-washer last year (and doubling down over and over again), decided to sharply pivot to become a maven of cleanliness. — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 9 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for maven
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maven
  1. expert
  2. lover
  3. master
  4. fan
  5. scholar
  6. sucker
  7. guru
  8. enthusiast
Noun
  • The high number is likely boosted by unusually warm water and the presence of an El Niño weather phenomenon with potentially historic rain for California, experts have said.
    — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The page says the funds will be used only for legal expenses, including filings, transcripts, investigators and experts.
    — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of expert
Noun
  • This is maybe one that a true pickle lover looking to experiment would really enjoy.
    — Bianca Harris, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
  • At the same time, in my experience, younger viewers today are far better film lovers than older ones.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of lover
Noun
  • The fragrances have been in development for roughly two-and-a-half years and were created with master perfumers Frank Voelkl and Shyamala Maisondieu.
    — Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2026
  • That data monitoring, in addition to master literacy coaches at each CMS campus to address specific student learning needs, has made a big impact, Balknight said.
    — Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of master
Noun
  • The effect of inaction is especially acute among committed fans, as shown by Knight Foundation polling last year.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • This week the reader taking part is Ade, a Forest fan from Nottingham.
    — Duncan Alexander, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of fan
Noun
  • A couple of seats away from him was Jack, the moustachioed cowboy now the moustachioed scholar, whispering in Evelyn’s ear.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
  • WYouth and Nuuly will present the Student Viewing Section at the 2026 CFDA Fashion Awards, welcoming current CFDA scholars and fashion students to the ceremony.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of scholar
Noun
  • Daughter of a travel agent and a sucker for a challenge, Nina can’t resist the call to adventures everywhere from the Midwest to Antarctica.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Sep. 2026
  • DuBose questions the allegation that Fields’ sucker-punched his teammate.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of sucker
Noun
  • Longtime rankings guru Loren Maxwell figured out a way to create high school football schedules with maximum competitive matchups and minimized travel … and then applied it to all 413 GHSA schools.
    — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • This was the Jack Kornfield, the mindfulness guru who wrote A Path With Heart, the book that had launched Britton’s journey into Buddhism.
    — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of guru
Noun
  • And while that contest ended well more than a decade ago, this hasn’t stopped Lu and other crypto enthusiasts from trying to factor the remaining uncracked numbers, including RSA-260.
    — Peter Hall, Scientific American, 4 Sep. 2026
  • So when Trader Joe’s dropped a similar formula at a fraction of the cost, skincare enthusiasts went into a bit of a frenzy.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of enthusiast

Browse Nearby Words

mausoleums
maven
mavens
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Maven.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maven. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of empirical

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All