as in expert
a person with a high level of knowledge or skill in a field
a movie director who was widely regarded as the past master of suspense
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Recent Examples of past master
There is a certainty to her sentences that sets her alongside past masters (your William Trevors, your Anton Chekhovs) and a singular beauty to her observations.
—
Tomi Obaro, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024
Coppola, a past master at directing actors, allows his performers – who include Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Aubrey Plaza, and Nathalie Emmanuel – to shamelessly ham it up.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Sep. 2024
And he is positioned as the chief foreign luminary at the festival’s anniversary tribute to past master Ozu Yasujiro.
—Mark Schilling, Variety, 23 Oct. 2023
The fact that the company is designing a standalone robotaxi speaks to its failures in executing past master plans.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 28 Feb. 2023
Wonder, a past master of love songs, makes a demand that tests the output of every contemporary pop singer and every jaded fan.
—Armond White, National Review, 25 Nov. 2020
Does this past master of starting crazes see the Reddit phenomenon as a long-overdue democratization of the stock market, or a frenzy detached from the fundamentals of investing?
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2021
The locked-room mystery—not just a whodunnit but a how-done-it—pays homage to past masters such as John Dickson Carr and Gaston Leroux.
—The Economist, 18 Dec. 2019
When the ensemble made its first national tour, playing Orchestra Hall in September 1992, Marsalis and friends were trying to show that America needed a world-class jazz orchestra that could honor past masters while forging future ones.
—Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, 16 Nov. 2019
Tomi Obaro, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024
Coppola, a past master at directing actors, allows his performers – who include Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Aubrey Plaza, and Nathalie Emmanuel – to shamelessly ham it up.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Sep. 2024
And he is positioned as the chief foreign luminary at the festival’s anniversary tribute to past master Ozu Yasujiro.
—Mark Schilling, Variety, 23 Oct. 2023
The fact that the company is designing a standalone robotaxi speaks to its failures in executing past master plans.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 28 Feb. 2023
Wonder, a past master of love songs, makes a demand that tests the output of every contemporary pop singer and every jaded fan.
—Armond White, National Review, 25 Nov. 2020
Does this past master of starting crazes see the Reddit phenomenon as a long-overdue democratization of the stock market, or a frenzy detached from the fundamentals of investing?
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2021
The locked-room mystery—not just a whodunnit but a how-done-it—pays homage to past masters such as John Dickson Carr and Gaston Leroux.
—The Economist, 18 Dec. 2019
When the ensemble made its first national tour, playing Orchestra Hall in September 1992, Marsalis and friends were trying to show that America needed a world-class jazz orchestra that could honor past masters while forging future ones.
—Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, 16 Nov. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for past master
Noun
-
Here’s what the experts have to say about why grief shows up in the body and how to cope with it.—
Kathleen Ferraro,
SELF,
15 Apr. 2025
-
The experts predict the economy will nearly stall in 2025, growing 0.8%, down from their projection of 1.7% just last month, according to the average estimate of 46 economists surveyed by Wolters Kluwer Blue Chip Economic Indicators on April 4 and April 7.—
John Bacon,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Select one platform and master it rather than spreading yourself too thin.—
Vicky Owens,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Coogler attended the University of Southern California’s School of the Cinematic Arts, obtaining a master’s degree in fine arts in 2011.—
Ashton Jackson,
CNBC,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Møller had an initial career as a literary scholar, then spent many years as a politician, and is now back to writing.—
Jay Nordlinger,
National Review,
21 Apr. 2025
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Wine scholars among us will recognize this as a mix of red and white grapes, with white allowed only in very small amounts.—
Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen,
Robb Report,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Hashing things out with his tech wizard brother-in-law Maury (a shaggy Guy Pearce), Karsh wonders if ecological protesters or religious groups or competitors are upset with his global expansion plans, which include a lava field in Iceland.—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2025
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Indeed, Wei advocates the CPA profession for not just math wizards, but anyone who aspires to lead a major corporation, citing a Fortune 500 study that found 38.5 percent of CEOs of the 500 had some kind of accounting background.—
Steel Rose, CPA,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Slot shares this staple of Tottenham counterpart Ange Postecoglou’s attacking principles, with Porro adept at tucking inside to disrupt the opposition shape.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
-
The result is that just these English words, representing just this original document, make for a new and somewhat undiscovered book, even to Marxist adepts.—
Benjamin Kunkel,
Harpers Magazine,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Also on the bill: R&B powerhouse Ledisi; actor and singer Leslie Odom Jr.; and guitar virtuoso Orianthi; as well as previously announced performer, composer and bandleader Jon Batiste.—
Paul Grein,
Billboard,
23 Apr. 2025
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He’s earned international esteem as a bandleader and collaborator with other singular artists like Afro-Swiss harmonica virtuoso Grégoire Maret, Japanese piano star Hiromi, and Cuban reed great Paquito D’Rivera.—
Andrew Gilbert,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Paint a retaining wall mural Unleash your inner artist with a retaining wall mural inspired by your backyard.—
Katherine McLaughlin,
Architectural Digest,
18 Apr. 2025
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Undergirding the performance’s raw, primal energy was choreography by Parris Goebel, the artist, dancer, and all-around creative force.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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As management guru Peter Drucker is often credited as saying, culture eats strategy for breakfast.—
Ryan Wong,
Forbes.com,
11 Apr. 2025
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Being mentored by Carr and having an offensive guru in Kellen Moore as a head coach could help elevate Sanders' game.—
David Faris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Past master.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/past%20master. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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