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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 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
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
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
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
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
-
Sign up for our free daily newsletter for the latest hacks, expert advice, and more!—
Emily Benda Gaylord,
The Spruce,
11 Jan. 2026
-
According to West Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner Chandan Kumar, officials are also working to help people in nearby villages relocate while wildlife experts attempt to track down the elephant.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Residents in a Stockton zip code have reported their mail is being stolen and worry someone may have access to the master postal key.—
Carmela Karcher,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
She was allowed to study there in her fifth year of college basketball because CU’s Boulder campus does not offer a master’s in criminal justice.—
Noelle Phillips,
Denver Post,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The museum, focused on the arts, history and technology, will draw tourists and scholars from around the world.—
Dorothy Jenkins Fields,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Other industries also had their assets taken away under Chávez's 14-year reign, and companies have filed at least 60 arbitration claims against Venezuela since the 2000s, according to Luisa Palacios, an adjunct senior research scholar at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
For Sanders, the challenge will be balancing aggression and prudence , avoiding turnovers against a defense adept at disguising coverage, while still pushing the ball deep enough to challenge a typically conservative Browns offense.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Nov. 2025
-
But if the destination is appealing and the driver adept, the journey is bound to be worth taking.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Who were the ad wizards who came up with that one?—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
3 Jan. 2026
-
This wizard doesn’t even use a curtain.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
3 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
They were accompanied by vocal virtuosos Lucius and blues-rock rippers Judith Hill and Eric Krasno, each fixtures in the local music community trying to rebuild itself in the wake of the Eaton fire.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Geese, a quartet of young rock virtuosos from Brooklyn, capture the vibe shift in freaky fidelity.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
12 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The actors will deliver quotes from the artists, thereby giving viewers a better understanding of the process and struggles of artists, Challis Davy said.—
Erika I. Ritchie,
Oc Register,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Her lips shine, too, with an ombré look in tawny brown hues, an effect created by makeup artist Bella Mayven with Charlotte Tilbury's Lip Cheat pencil in Foxy Brown and Big Lip Plumpgasm gloss in Nudegasm Diamonds.—
Marci Robin,
Allure,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Additionally, the annual flurry of economic gurus’ 2026 forecasts offered little fuel for hope, compounding this sense of uncertainty.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The fashion guru typically rocks her tried-and-true ashy blonde, occasionally opting for highlights and/or lowlights.—
Tessa Petak,
InStyle,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Past master.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/past%20master. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share