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
  • The 30-year-old actress, who was named the Chinese brand ambassador for Kors last March, made her acting debut at 10 and has played numerous roles in historical, fantasy and romantic dramas.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Meet the expert Becca Raziuddin is a Mane ambassador and celebrity hairstylist to stars like Chrissy Teigen and Bebe Rexha.
    — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of ambassador
Noun
  • Trump on Monday acted confused when a reporter asked him about Ambassador David Perdue's remarks over the weekend, suggesting the diplomat was confusing China with Taiwan.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Trump on Monday acted confused when a reporter asked him about Ambassador David Perdue’s remarks over the weekend, suggesting the diplomat was confusing China with Taiwan.
    — Ben Finley, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 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
  • Beck was playing a shabby, malnourished musician living in a shack who acts as an emissary of a weird celebrity cult.
    — Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
  • See pictures from the funeral below, along with a list of the foreign emissaries who attended.
    — Stefania Conrieri, Vanity Fair, 9 Sep. 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
  • Those efforts have included dispatching a senior envoy to discuss ending Iranian airline Mahan Air’s flights to Oman, according to a Treasury Department spokesperson.
    — Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Such a meeting would come after US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met separately with Zelensky in Kyiv and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this month.
    — Max Saltman, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of envoy
Noun
  • Alexandra Hill Tinoco, the foreign minister of El Salvador, asked Monday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Russia's foreign minister used his address at the United Nations General Assembly to accuse Europe of blocking efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of foreign minister
Noun
  • The petition argues that the decision was incorrect because mining hadn’t occurred on the property for years prior to 1976, said the alliance’s attorney, Henry Josefberg.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
  • If De Soto decides to adopt a new noise ordinance as the city looks to determine whether the current rules adequately addresses industrial noise, Digital Realty would have to adhere to any changes, city attorney Reavey said.
    — Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of attorney

Browse Nearby Words

plenipotentiaries
plenipotentiary
plenitude
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Cite this Entry

“Plenipotentiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plenipotentiary. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on plenipotentiary

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about plenipotentiary

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