PAST MASTERS Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

past masters

noun

plural of past master

as in experts

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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for past masters

Noun

Aviation experts have marveled that the plane didn't crash after a descent so sharp that the rudder was torn away.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
These agencies now need to work with cryptanalysis experts to ensure that standardized algorithms are continually tested against the latest AI attack vectors.

— Ali El Kaafarani, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of experts

Noun

The end of the world has come in many forms for Robert and Michelle King, television’s reigning masters of the feel-good/feel-bad apocalypse.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
Since mega masters hearings began in May, immigration data researchers found that the number of people ordered deported when not showing up for a hearing has skyrocketed.

— Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of masters

Noun

The institute is designed to bring public officials, scholars and other leaders to campus while expanding the college’s work around civic engagement, public policy, free expression and leadership.

— Nora O’Neill October 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 Oct. 2026
Whether or not Plath intended to die with her final suicide attempt is still an unresolved question among scholars.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of scholars

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
He was investigated by the SS on the orders of Heinrich Himmler but convinced his investigators, all adepts of Deutsche Physik, that he was engaged in worthwhile teaching and research.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025

Definition of adepts

Noun

Some of my favorite artists were doing moments of silence at their concerts for this little old lady from suburban Illinois who never had any ambition beyond just trying to help people.

— Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026
The happiness was real, for a time, but the two artists, each with his own distinct problems and needs, were not going to be happy together, or with anyone else, for long.

— Alan Hollinghurst, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of artists

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.

Browse Nearby Words

past master

past masters

pastor

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Past masters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/past%20masters. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of past masters

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

etiquette

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes