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
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The consent order also called for an independent expert compliance contractor to monitor the hospital.—
Livi Stanford,
Hartford Courant,
21 July 2025
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Then, the movements of these tools guided by the hands of expert human surgeons could be recreated by conventional robotic arms like the ones used in STAR.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
21 July 2025
Noun
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There’s also a potential downside to the biggest upside: ownership of the masters.—
Todd Longwell,
Variety,
30 July 2025
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Initial plans for the West Palm Beach envision as many as 1,000 students who would be enrolled in graduate-level business programs—such as an Executive MBA and master’s in finance—as well as other fields like artificial intelligence, data science and computer science.—
Michael T. Nietzel,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
Noun
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But true seasonal scholars know autumn actually begins when Bath & Body Works drops their fall candle collection—and something inside us shifts.—
Katie Ann Lehman,
StyleCaster,
25 July 2025
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Who better to run the U.S. military than a Sapphic scholar from south of the border?—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
25 July 2025
Noun
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Much of Superman's second act is spent inside a 'pocket dimension' used by Lex Luthor and his LuthorCorp scientists and tech wizards.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
17 July 2025
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The company announced a TV series based on all seven books about the boy wizard written by J.K. Rowling.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
14 July 2025
Noun
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The digital adept also had a nearly eight-year stretch at Teen Vogue.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
Footwear News,
3 Sep. 2019
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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
Noun
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But the question remained: Why would one of music’s most acclaimed and elusive virtuosos take a high school gig from this kid at all?—
David Kushner,
Rolling Stone,
20 July 2025
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An international accordion virtuoso will perform at 7:30 p.m. July 21 in the Normandy Room of the Elmhurst American Legion Post, 310 W. Butterfield Road, Elmhurst.—
Melinda Moore,
Chicago Tribune,
17 July 2025
Noun
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Shops will host artists, and there will be pop-up bars and live music.—
Caroline Ritzie,
The Enquirer,
24 July 2025
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The cornerstone event, held on Saturday, will also feature visual artists from D.C. and Miami, and will pay homage to the 50th anniversary of the go-go sound, a subgenre of funk that incorporates call and response.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
23 July 2025
Noun
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At least Alexia gets to hang out with her new guru, Daniel Chidiac.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
17 July 2025
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On these posts, commenters are asking what shade of Sharpie the beauty gurus are using, with many praising the permanent marker as an economical alternative to traditional lip liners.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
13 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Past master.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/past%20master. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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