PAST MASTER Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

past master

noun

Definition of past master

as in expert

a person with a high level of knowledge or skill in a field a movie director who was widely regarded as the past master of suspense

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Recent Examples of past master There is a certainty to her sentences that sets her alongside past masters (your William Trevors, your Anton Chekhovs) and a singular beauty to her observations. — Tomi Obaro, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024 And he is positioned as the chief foreign luminary at the festival’s anniversary tribute to past master Ozu Yasujiro. — Mark Schilling, Variety, 23 Oct. 2023 The fact that the company is designing a standalone robotaxi speaks to its failures in executing past master plans. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 28 Feb. 2023 Does this past master of starting crazes see the Reddit phenomenon as a long-overdue democratization of the stock market, or a frenzy detached from the fundamentals of investing? — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2021 Wonder, a past master of love songs, makes a demand that tests the output of every contemporary pop singer and every jaded fan. — Armond White, National Review, 25 Nov. 2020 When the ensemble made its first national tour, playing Orchestra Hall in September 1992, Marsalis and friends were trying to show that America needed a world-class jazz orchestra that could honor past masters while forging future ones. — Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, 16 Nov. 2019

Recent Examples of Synonyms for past master

Noun

But this should be guided and individualized by the right expert in terms of counseling and determining both the risks and benefits of sports based on the cardiac diagnosis and type of sport engaged in by the athlete.

— Nicole Williams, AJC.com, 6 July 2026
Sandy Baum, an expert in education finance with the Urban Institute, said the new loan limits are unreasonably low, but uncapped borrowing was a real problem and some restrictions are necessary.

— Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026

Definition of expert

Noun

It isn't meant to house a bed but simply to open up space above the 205 x 186-cm (81 x 73-in) master king bed, creating a more complete bedroom that gives sleepers loads of space to sit up comfortably.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 July 2026
All woven together by a master storyteller the right would love and have tried to claim for themselves?

— Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 15 July 2026

Definition of master

Noun

A student of history and avid collector of tapestries, Ormund sees himself as a scholar, as Alicent (Olivia Cooke) describes to Rhaenyra in the fourth episode.

— Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026
Her face displays the trademark unibrow and faint mustache — a gender-bending look that, scholars say, reflects Kahlo’s defiant repudiation of the classic female aesthetic.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026

Definition of scholar

Noun

Tech pioneer adept at shifting gears Atom Power was co-founded in 2015 by Kouroussis and Ryan Kennedy as a UNC Charlotte incubator, a project that started at the college before spinning off its own company and moving to the Lake Norman area.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 11 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, Alouette has become an adept of dye recipes.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026

Definition of adept

Noun

Their quest pits them against wizards, monsters, dragons, and a sinister conspiracy in a lighthearted fantasy adventure inspired by the tabletop RPG.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
The books about the life of a young wizard were adapted into a movie series that debuted in 2001 with Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.

— Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026

Definition of wizard

Noun

Just two weeks after Bob Dylan guitarist Doug Lancio vanished from the tour and was replaced by jazz virtuoso Julian Lage, Bob Britt — who has played guitar in Dylan’s band since 2019 — has apparently left the group as well.

— Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 29 June 2026
He was widely celebrated as a virtuoso who nurtured America’s economic well-being and whose nearly every utterance was parsed for clues as to where interest rates, the economy and the financial markets might be headed.

— Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 22 June 2026

Definition of virtuoso

Noun

In addition to Bridges, artists Lydia Kitto and J Lloyd produced the album.

— Brayden Garcia July 14, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 2026
The acquisition by Kansas City Kansas Community College places his work in a permanent public collection and signals a broader shift in how local Black artists are being valued by institutions.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 15 July 2026

Definition of artist

Noun

His guru, Ramakrishna, was a 19th-century mystic and spiritual teacher in Bengal whose teachings on the unity underlying all religions shaped the worldview Vivekananda would go on to spread globally.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 July 2026
After her longtime hair guru found love with White Lotus star Gage, Kardashian appeared more than happy to officiate the pair's black-and-white nuptials, which also included a performance from Shania Twain.

— Grace Gavilanes, PEOPLE, 4 July 2026

Definition of guru

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past master

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“Past master.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/past%20master. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of past master

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