plenipotentiary

noun

Definition of plenipotentiarynext
as in ambassador
technical a person (such as a diplomat) who has complete power to do business for a government

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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 plenipotentiary Walpole’s most frequent correspondent was Horace Mann, the British plenipotentiary in Florence, Italy. — Catherine Ostler, WSJ, 15 Apr. 2022 Morris was eventually the United States’ plenipotentiary to France and spent years afterward touring Europe and having affairs there. — Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 4 June 2019 These succeeded to the extent that a meeting was brought about in 1880 between plenipotentiaries of the three belligerents and the American Ministers accredited to those countries on board an American naval vessel in the harbor of Arica. — Edwin M. Borchard, Foreign Affairs, 7 Oct. 2011
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plenipotentiary
  1. ambassador
  2. diplomat
  3. diplomatist
  4. emissary
  5. legate
  6. envoy
  7. foreign minister
  8. attorney
Noun
  • The Rhode founder tapped go-to celebrity nail artist Zola Ganzorigt, an OPI global ambassador, for the bold look.
    — Audrey Noble, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Travis Kelce reminded Chiefs fans on Sunday that one of his other day jobs is ambassador — and model — for preppy clothing brand Tommy Hilfiger.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of ambassador
Noun
  • The following day, settlers attacked diplomats from Belgium, France and Poland, as well as representatives of the Catholic Church, in the Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh.
    — Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 20 Oct. 2026
  • France, Belgium and Poland, whose diplomats were attacked, also called on Israel to take action.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of diplomat
Noun
  • The trouble, rather, is that even our top foreign-policy experts and our most sophisticated diplomatists are creatures of our own cultural heritage and intellectual environment.
    — Nicholas Eberstadt, National Review, 11 Sep. 2017
Definition of diplomatist
Noun
  • But two years ago, Gyles Brandreth, an author and friend of Christopher's, traveled to New York as an emissary of Queen Camilla hoping to arrange an anniversary stay at Buckingham Palace for the 105-year-old fleecy emigres.
    — STEVE HENDRIX THE WASHINGTON POST, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Beck was playing a shabby, malnourished musician living in a shack who acts as an emissary of a weird celebrity cult.
    — Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of emissary
Noun
  • However, papal legates—diplomatic representatives—continue their external functions.
    — Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 2025
  • In the 1520s Thomas Wolsey, Cardinal legate of England, drove forward a similar program of moral and financial reform, winding up a further 29 monasteries.
    — Crawford Gribben, WSJ, 29 Apr. 2022
Definition of legate
Noun
  • The Republican president's special envoys such as Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and Tom Barrack have taken the lead on those matters.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Her status as a special envoy expired last month without renewal, and she has now been moved to another role.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of envoy
Noun
  • Upon landing in Samarkand on Sunday night, Rubio was warmly embraced by Uzbekistan’s foreign minister, Bakhtiyor Saidov, while two women clad in elaborate gold-and-black traditional dresses presented him with a bouquet.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The two candidates at the bottom of Friday's straw poll were women — Maria Fernanda Espinosa, a former General Assembly president and foreign minister of Ecuador, and Ivonne A-Baki, a former Ecuadorian ambassador.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of foreign minister
Noun
  • In addition to the return of her property, Omar's attorneys are demanding that the Justice Department preserve any audio and video that was taken during the search, according to the letter.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Sims, an attorney was 34th District representative from 2012 to 2018.
    — Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of attorney

Browse Nearby Words

plenipotentiaries
plenipotentiary
plenitude
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“Plenipotentiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plenipotentiary. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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