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
  • Christina Giaquinto is an organizing expert and spiritual life coach who served as a brand ambassador and organizing expert for Modular Closets.
    — Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The line between star, character and brand ambassador has disappeared.
    — Ashlee Difuntorum, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of ambassador
Noun
  • Malonga spoke of these students as not just scholars, but future diplomats for African cooking.
    — Alicia Erickson, Travel + Leisure, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Morocco’s government views the situation as a predictable result of the court ruling, said a high-ranking diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a highly sensitive issue.
    — Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 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
  • Internationally, her role as a cultural emissary has earned her widespread recognition, including distinctions connected to UNESCO and other cultural institutions.
    — The Editors of ARTnews, ARTnews.com, 28 July 2026
  • Sick of It All were NYHC’s most welcoming emissaries, and their mouthpiece was Lou Koller, whose death was announced Friday.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 25 July 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
  • Trump’s two main envoys to Moscow, his friend Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, were amateurs in international diplomacy and proved unable to start a proper negotiating process.
    — Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 31 July 2026
  • But he is visited by Kanbei (Masaki Suda), an envoy from a different clan, who tells him that more and more factions are siding with Oda, spelling certain doom for Murashige.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
Definition of envoy
Noun
  • The Ukrainian foreign minister published a list of Russian outlets that enthusiastically piled on too.
    — Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Iranian state media reported earlier that the country’s foreign minister made calls to warn regional leaders about any escalation.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of foreign minister
Noun
  • The governor now picks one of three finalists named by a nominating commission controlled by attorneys.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The county attorney presented a plan to sue several big pharma companies for the deceptive marketing practices that triggered the opioid epidemic, following the pattern established by lawsuits filed against tobacco companies starting in the 1990s.
    — Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 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 9 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on plenipotentiary

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about plenipotentiary

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