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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Example Sentences

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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

Economic uncertainty and other factors have kept borrowing costs elevated for much of the year, according to real estate experts.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 19 Sep. 2026
Alicia Sokolowski is a cleaning expert and president and co-CEO of AspenClean, a brand that focuses on all-natural, chemical-free cleaning.

— Maria Sabella, The Spruce, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of expert

Noun

A student there named John-Michael Tebelak wrote the book for the show as his master’s thesis, with original songs provided by his friends.

— Victor Garber, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
Parker’s Heritage Collection is named after the late master distiller Parker Beam, who joined Heaven Hill in 1960 when his father, Earl Beam, was master distiller there.

— Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of master

Noun

Still, the question of what Ebel was doing with his adepts swept through Prussia, dominating the newspapers that had only recently begun to emerge from their eighteenth-century chronicling of obligations to a more modern publicizing role.

— Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Lest things get predictable, Tasjan’s adept at letting the music battle with the lyrics in a way that hints at how any experience is far more complex than we are led to believe.

— Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 17 July 2026

Definition of adept

Noun

In 2023, the comedian, actor, writer, and banjo virtuoso Steve Martin was walking through SoHo, followed closely by two men holding a laptop.

— David Owen, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Conductor Gustavo Dudamel’s arrival at the New York Philharmonic has triggered a rhapsody in the city’s classical-music scene—particularly among the young virtuosos of the Juilliard School, shot here with some of the Philharmonic’s key players.

— Theo Wenner, Vogue, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of virtuoso

Noun

Curator Cheryl Sim has been responsible for connecting artists with the property.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Sep. 2026
The work comes to auction ahead of a major retrospective of the artist at the Whitney Museum in New York, opening next month.

— Brian Boucher for ArtNews, Robb Report, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of artist

Noun

The player’s dining companions included his wife, Mariah Riddlesprigger, as well as hospitality guru David Grutman, who owns the Japanese steakhouse with Bad Bunny.

— Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 19 Sep. 2026
She’s lured to her choice by Ricki, played by Lily James, a charismatic empowerment guru who sees Rita as a mark, and her hauntedness as a source of vulnerability.

— Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of guru

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past master

past masters

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“Past master.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/past%20master. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of past master

noun

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