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
  • Alongside him is Bartos, a Pennsylvania businessman nominated as deputy ambassador for management and reform.
    — Bethany Mandel, The Washington Examiner, 16 Aug. 2026
  • The twins are both signed to Storm Model Management, appear regularly at fashion weeks around the globe and are brand ambassadors for the British jewelry label Boodles and the accessories label Aspinal of London.
    — Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of ambassador
Noun
  • Initially, diplomats assigned to the region sought to counter Bukele’s growing influence by sharply denouncing his anti-democratic impulses.
    — Daniel Castro, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Carney was known as a diplomat who not only spoke his mind, but was unafraid to challenge prevailing assumptions.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 17 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
  • According to the news release, the school is also expanding its participation in the Shinshinim program—two new young emissaries from Israel will join the school for a year before their army service.
    — Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Serra’s immersive event, a rapture of colors and shadows, pays fittingly grandiose tribute to an emissary of a legendary cinematic era.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 11 Aug. 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
  • All of that came as a US presidential envoy held a rare meeting with the leader of Hamas to discuss peace, and as Washington trumpeted the prospects for Israel-Lebanon talks next month.
    — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Kushner was one of a trio of envoys meeting with al-Hayya, with officials from mediating countries Egypt, Qatar and Turkey also there.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of envoy
Noun
  • According to reporting in The New York Times, Israel planned to assassinate the Iranian foreign minister and speaker of parliament while the two were conducting negotiations with the United States.
    — Mark Leonard, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, posted on X in response to Trump’s comments on Friday, bashing the United States and rejecting the idea that the strait could fall out of Iranian control.
    — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of foreign minister
Noun
  • Zoe’s introduction is also step one of a pretty funny set of small-town reveals, the next of which is the defense attorney who comes to Hal’s aid in court the next morning, Billy Macon (Jason Ritter).
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 17 Aug. 2026
  • At a bond hearing earlier this year, Fernandez Saldana’s attorney said there was no proof his client’s guilt was evident, CNN affiliate Action News Jax reported.
    — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 17 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 23 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on plenipotentiary

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about plenipotentiary

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