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
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
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Police and fire rescue experts say this is also serves a reminder to always wear personal flotation devices in and around rivers, creeks, ditches and lakes.—
Dillon Thomas,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
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But despite this, experts say the lack of AI play is not the main reason why global investors are exiting India.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
Noun
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In addition, the Casa Sanlorenzo cultural venue opened in 2025 will host two exhibitions, one dedicated to local master artisans and curated by Artemest and another presenting craftspeople from Luxembourg by De Mains De Maîtres Luxembourg.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
9 June 2026
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Jayne and Rabinovitz are both classified master bench jewelers, Jayne said, meaning the two have reached the highest level of professional jeweler, according to the Jewelers of America.—
Emma Hall,
Sacbee.com,
9 June 2026
Noun
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The facility's revelation came less than two years after North Korea unveiled another covert uranium-enrichment plant in September 2024, in its first public disclosure of such a facility since showing one at the country’s main Yongbyon nuclear complex to visiting American scholars in 2010.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 June 2026
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Other speakers include composer and educator Scott Keever, relational coach and writer Jennifer Luciani and scholar and writer Martin Law.—
Hannah Brueske,
Twin Cities,
2 June 2026
Noun
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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
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Meanwhile, Alouette has become an adept of dye recipes.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Skeletor, who was a human being named Keldor, is a wizard who uses mind control, among other abilities, to get his way from his hub on Snake Mountain.—
Lisa Stardust,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
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My old colleague Ben Morris, a statistical wizard, used to tell me that 10 games of a season generally produces enough data to have a good idea of how good a team would be.—
Kyle Wagner,
New York Daily News,
3 June 2026
Noun
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Fleck, who is a virtuoso known for crossing genres, embraced the album as an opportunity to create music supporting a strong vocalist.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
8 June 2026
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The guitar virtuoso died days before his 100th birthday.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 June 2026
Noun
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These artists defined their own style in Detroit—raw, soulful, and forward-looking—and eventually captured a global audience.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
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In the wake of 2020’s protests, many museums solicited responses from contemporary artists—particularly artists of color; A250 has spawned no such wave of institutional commissions.—
Greg Allen,
ARTnews.com,
7 June 2026
Noun
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Kayne is many things, though queen of cashmere, beige’s biggest advocate, lifestyle guru, and Cali-cool designer are her main calling cards.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
9 June 2026
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The professor of turfgrass research at Michigan State University is the grass guru responsible for the quality and durability of the World Cup pitches at the tournament’s 16 venues in North America.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Past master.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/past%20master. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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