past master

noun

Definition of past masternext
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

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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 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
  1. expert
  2. master
  3. scholar
  4. adept
  5. wizard
  6. virtuoso
  7. artist
  8. guru
Noun
  • The extradition process can take months, depending on what challenges are brought, legal experts said.
    — Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • That being said, real-estate experts say buyers may finally be gaining a bit more breathing room as the market holds steady.
    — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 19 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
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of adept
Noun
  • One of the best psych-folk albums of 2026 was made by a beekeeper and a part-time wizard.
    — Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 17 July 2026
  • He was nominated for both an Emmy and a second Golden Globe for playing the titular Arthurian wizard in the 1998 miniseries Merlin.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 15 July 2026
Definition of wizard
Noun
  • Jones eventually embraced a broad swath of influences ranging from the inimitable Stevie Wonder to prog-rock virtuoso Keith Emerson.
    — Dave Gil De Rubio, Daily News, 14 July 2026
  • 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
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
  • Offensive guru Brian Daboll was pretty incompetent as the Giants’ coach and hit the bricks, and in walks Super Bowl winning coach John Harbaugh.
    — Vic Tafur, New York Times, 17 July 2026
  • And travel guru Rick Steves reminded us that jet lag is not something that simply has a learning curve.
    — Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 15 July 2026
Definition of guru

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pastings
past master
past masters
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Cite this Entry

“Past master.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/past%20master. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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