as in ambassador
technical
a person (such as a diplomat) who has complete power to do business for a government
Related Words
Relevance
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
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
-
With the ending of placements at the Civic and city-funded rooms in other CoLEAD shelters, safety ambassadors who were paid to quell the violence on Third Avenue turned to other shelter organizations.—
Ashley Hiruko,
ProPublica,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Domingo, a house brand ambassador who has worn several custom looks at recent events, is a show regular.—
Rhonda Richford,
Footwear News,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In Libra, Mercury is a charming diplomat, prioritizing balance, compromise and social harmony.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Johnson’s embrace of the president struck some of his critics in El Salvador and Washington as excessive for a diplomat.—
T. Christian Miller,
ProPublica,
30 Sep. 2025
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
Noun
-
This week, a number of the continent’s trade emissaries and heads of state have pushed for an expeditious extension of the program’s benefits—namely, duty-free access to the United States market for more than 1,800 products from 32 countries.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
26 Sep. 2025
-
When Trump was running for President in 2016, at least one emissary from the campaign suggested to the Emirati rulers that Trump’s deal with Sajwani gave them an in.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
11 Aug. 2025
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
Noun
-
Maduro’s envoys have reportedly sought to revive older air and land corridors through Central America, working with Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The Quartet comprised the United Nations, the European Union, Russia and the United States, and appointed Blair as its envoy in 2007 with the goal of helping to develop the Palestinian economy and institutions.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Just prior to his China trip, Modi dispatched his foreign minister to Moscow, to boost overall Russia-India trade.—
Tom Nagorski,
Time,
1 Oct. 2025
-
China — the first country to appoint an ambassador to the Taliban-run nation in 2023 — sent its foreign minister, Wang Yi, in August to Kabul to hold talks with Afghanistan's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.—
Caitlin McFall,
FOXNews.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Union attorneys argue the OMB overstepped its legal authority, asserting that federal law does not permit reductions in force during a lapse in appropriations.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Graf asked after attorneys for both sides had introduced themselves.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plenipotentiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plenipotentiary. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share