as in dean
the senior member of a group
the elder statesman of the White House correspondents is finally retiring after nearly a half century of service
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Recent Examples of elder statesman
Before becoming the beloved elder statesman of the former presidents club in 1980, Jimmy Carter earned the ire of his successors for his outspokenness.
—
Peter Kastor, The Conversation, 8 May 2025
There has to be one elder statesman someone such as Tyreek Hill can come to about his impending divorce, or a starter can turn to about how to handle a potential demotion, or being replaced by a young player.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 7 May 2025
Once a bad-boy on court, McEnroe developed into an elder statesman in tennis broadcasting.
—Merlisa Lawrence Corbett, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
But, looking to start a rehabilitation of his image as an elder statesman of a party out of power, Biden urged his fellow Democrats to keep the faith and stay vigilant.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for elder statesman
Peter Kastor, The Conversation, 8 May 2025
There has to be one elder statesman someone such as Tyreek Hill can come to about his impending divorce, or a starter can turn to about how to handle a potential demotion, or being replaced by a young player.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 7 May 2025
Once a bad-boy on court, McEnroe developed into an elder statesman in tennis broadcasting.
—Merlisa Lawrence Corbett, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
But, looking to start a rehabilitation of his image as an elder statesman of a party out of power, Biden urged his fellow Democrats to keep the faith and stay vigilant.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for elder statesman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elder statesman
Noun
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The argument that Trump has violated the 10th Amendment is a clever subversion of a line of thinking that has traditionally been backed by conservative judges, said Erwin Chemerinsky, the dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law.—
Laura J. Nelson,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2025
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Pesticides are unique among chemicals, though, says Melissa Perry, an environmental epidemiologist and dean of George Mason’s College of Public Health.—
Matt Fuchs,
Time,
5 June 2025
Noun
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Columnist Steve Lopez asks: If people taking care of our elders get deported, will anyone take their place?—
Kevinisha Walker,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2025
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Every day of inaction is an act of aggression against the system that protects our elders from poverty and indignity.—
Teresa Ghilarducci,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2025
Noun
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Alex Caruso, one of the team’s veterans, was a bench guy, until he was tasked with defending Nikola Jokić during the Thunder’s series against the Denver Nuggets, and did about as good a job as anyone has ever done of shutting Jokić down.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
8 June 2025
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Twenty-two a day has been a call-to-action statistic, although the most recent data from the 2024 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report (using 2022 numbers) puts it at 17.6 veterans committing suicide per day, which is significantly higher than among non-veteran adults.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Elder statesman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elder%20statesman. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
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