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
Coppola, a past master at directing actors, allows his performers – who include Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Aubrey Plaza, and Nathalie Emmanuel – to shamelessly ham it up.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Sep. 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
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
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
The locked-room mystery—not just a whodunnit but a how-done-it—pays homage to past masters such as John Dickson Carr and Gaston Leroux.
—The Economist, 18 Dec. 2019
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
Tomi Obaro, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024
Coppola, a past master at directing actors, allows his performers – who include Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Aubrey Plaza, and Nathalie Emmanuel – to shamelessly ham it up.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Sep. 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
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
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
The locked-room mystery—not just a whodunnit but a how-done-it—pays homage to past masters such as John Dickson Carr and Gaston Leroux.
—The Economist, 18 Dec. 2019
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
-
Reality does not meet the hype, according to one expert.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
11 May 2025
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Higher education is widely viewed by experts as a driver of social mobility, with college graduates typically earning more during their lifetimes than their peers who did not attend college.—
Kate Marijolovic,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 May 2025
Noun
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Every art lover must visit The Louvre at least once in their lifetime not just to see Leonardo’s incredible Mona Lisa and the famous Venus de Milo but for the quieter galleries too in the Richelieu wing with works by masters like Rubens, Rembrandt and Vermeer.—
Joanne Shurvell,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
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Get The Recipe 02 of 10 Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake Some of Grandma’s recipes take a practiced hand in the kitchen to master, but old-school dump cake recipes are literally foolproof.—
Mary Shannon Wells,
Southern Living,
19 May 2025
Noun
-
Immigration authorities released visiting Georgetown University scholar Badar Khan Suri on Wednesday following a federal judge’s ruling.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
14 May 2025
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The writer and scholar Robert Macfarlane has spent much of his life climbing up mountains and fishing on rivers, and his passion for each extends to his writing.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
14 May 2025
Noun
-
The wizard with the task of pulling this off indoors is Al Zaabi.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
-
Sophie sets out to find a way of lifting the curse and goes to the wizard Howl's castle.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
EW.com,
10 May 2025
Noun
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Slot shares this staple of Tottenham counterpart Ange Postecoglou’s attacking principles, with Porro adept at tucking inside to disrupt the opposition shape.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
-
The result is that just these English words, representing just this original document, make for a new and somewhat undiscovered book, even to Marxist adepts.—
Benjamin Kunkel,
Harpers Magazine,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Become Good At Something In Groundhog Day, Connors appears to relive the same day hundreds of times over; however, throughout the course of the film, Connors learns to speak French and becomes an expert at ice sculpting and a virtuoso pianist.—
Michael Hicks,
Forbes.com,
7 May 2025
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During a pivotal moment of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club on Broadway, country virtuoso Orville Peck makes a bold choice.—
Stephen Daw,
Billboard,
15 Apr. 2025
Noun
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On colorful plinths made by Sarabande artist Adam, the brand showcased their special edition of Vintage 2015 in tribute to Jean-Michel Basquiat.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
Footwear News,
12 May 2025
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Grammy-winning artist John Legend opened up about the troubling transformation of longtime collaborator and friend Kanye West in a candid interview with The London Times published on Saturday (May 10).—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
12 May 2025
Noun
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Here’s what those LinkedIn gurus aren't telling you.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
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John, a club and restaurant owner known around town as a nightlife guru, has rights to the land for up to 100 years under the comprehensive agreement.—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
7 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Past master.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/past%20master. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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