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
-
In June 2025, a Sacramento Regional Transit ambassador stabbed 16-year-old Michael Berry at the Mather Field/Mills Transit Center on Mills Station Road in Rancho Cordova, according to authorities.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Lykke Leonardsen, who runs Copenhagen’s Resilient and Sustainable City Solutions program and serves as the city’s informal water ambassador, told me that the intent was to hold hearings, win approval in August, and invest gradually.—
Eric Klinenberg,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Offer to Saudi crown prince Epstein was introduced to Raafat Al-Sabbagh, a close advisor of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, in 2016 by Norwegian diplomat Terje Rød-Larsen.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
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Later this month, the university is holding a lecture on Carl Lutz, a Swiss diplomat who served in Hungary from 1942 until the end of World War II.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
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
-
Expect emissaries from the ever-changing world of media.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Bini — already stadium-sized superstars in Asia — is the latest emissary in Coachella’s reach for new sounds from around the globe.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
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
-
An attempt to fill the gap failed after the US rejected MTN chairman Mcebisi Jonas’ credentials to serve as special envoy.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The deployments have made Iranian diplomatic envoys even more dubious that American peace efforts are sincere.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But whether they were conveyed to the foreign minister or Qatar’s leader, Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, is unclear.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Iran's foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, thanked Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif for his role in the negotiations.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Stephen Cook, the group’s attorney, is based in the Irvine office of the multinational law firm Brown Rudnick.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Defense attorneys requested the change of venue to Tarrant County, arguing that Horner could not get a fair trial in Wise County.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plenipotentiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plenipotentiary. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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