as in ambassador
technical
a person (such as a diplomat) who has complete power to do business for a government
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Recent Examples of plenipotentiary
All empires have, like the Roman Empire, been… The American System and the World Organization
On the day our plenipotentiaries exchange their full powers, an immortal date will be inscribed in American diplomatic history.
—
Ezequiel Padilla, Foreign Affairs, 10 Sep. 2024
Walpole’s most frequent correspondent was Horace Mann, the British plenipotentiary in Florence, Italy.
—Catherine Ostler, WSJ, 15 Apr. 2022
Then came Bob, the king of Thailand’s valet plenipotentiary.
—Alejandro Varela, Harper's magazine, 16 Sep. 2019
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
Ezequiel Padilla, Foreign Affairs, 10 Sep. 2024
Walpole’s most frequent correspondent was Horace Mann, the British plenipotentiary in Florence, Italy.
—Catherine Ostler, WSJ, 15 Apr. 2022
Then came Bob, the king of Thailand’s valet plenipotentiary.
—Alejandro Varela, Harper's magazine, 16 Sep. 2019
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plenipotentiary
Noun
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For instance, a new version of its iconic Nulu fabric — Warm Nulu — hit store shelves this November, striking a chord with the brand’s local ambassadors.—
Denni Hu,
Footwear News,
9 Nov. 2025
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The ambassador stabbed Berry during the struggle, the Sheriff’s Office said.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The administration has quietly directed diplomats to press allies on restricting inflows, enhancing deportation mechanisms, and ending policies perceived as favoring migrants over citizens.—
Daniel Ross Goodman,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
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Although Europe is reliant on the US for military hardware in the short term, Daniel Fried, a veteran US diplomat, told CNN that the continent has more leverage than is commonly believed.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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
Noun
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The War of the Two Caesars also serves as a nice mirror for everything going down with the Brotherhood, Elder Cleric Quintus still hellbent on usurping the Commonwealth despite the arrival of Kumail Nanjiani’s Paladin Xander Harkness, an emissary from that neck of the woods.—
Jack King,
Vulture,
31 Dec. 2025
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During this term, the Harvard alumnus served as the Board’s representative to the Group of Twenty (G-20) and as an emissary to the emerging and advanced economies in Asia.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
15 Dec. 2025
Noun
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However, papal legates—diplomatic representatives—continue their external functions.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Apr. 2025
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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
Noun
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But Nigeria does not currently have an ambassador or high profile special envoy to have helped get ahead of this.—
Semafor Events,
semafor.com,
3 Nov. 2025
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Lutfey Siddiqi, the special envoy for international affairs in Bangladesh’s interim government, also said at the Fortune Global Forum that his country’s young demographic is key to economic progress, making an oil analogy to explain how Bangladesh should leverage that advantage.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Middle East efforts In Bulgaria, Mladenov held the position of defense minister for a year, before serving as foreign minister from 2010-13, during the uprisings in the Middle East known as the Arab Spring when Syria also descended into civil war.—
Veselin Toshkov,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
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At the time of this incident, Chavez was president of Venezuela and Maduro was the foreign minister.—
Jay Weaver
January 8,
Miami Herald,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The Star reached out to both Rice’s agent and an attorney who has represented him in the past, as well as the NFL, on the matter.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
8 Jan. 2026
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An attorney representing the bakery says there's a reason the owners live and work on the property.—
Austen Erblat,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plenipotentiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plenipotentiary. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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