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
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Mandelson, a former Cabinet minister, ambassador and elder statesman of the governing Labour Party, has not been arrested or charged.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
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Starmer has apologized to Epstein’s victims and pledged to release public documents that will show Mandelson lied when he was being vetted for the ambassador’s job.—
Jill Lawless,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Speakers at the event include Kenneth Cole, fashion designer and social activist; Gabby Karan de Felice, restaurateur and Karan’s daughter; Rebecca Moses, fashion designer, illustrator and author, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, politician, lawyer and diplomat.—
Lisa Lockwood,
Footwear News,
11 Feb. 2026
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The diplomat testified alongside Austin Holmes, a Florida resident and security firm owner who coordinates humanitarian and security assistance in the Caribbean country.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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In June 1960, an emissary from the Soviet ballet world argued in The Atlantic that dance could still flourish behind the Iron Curtain.—
Sara Krolewski,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
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But for now, scientists cannot rule out the possibility that one slipped past Earth nearly three years ago, sending a lone emissary into an underwater neutrino detector.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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However, papal legates—diplomatic representatives—continue their external functions.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Apr. 2025
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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
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At the end of last week, after another long day of talks in Abu Dhabi, Ukraine’s envoys huddled around a phone for a call with their boss, who was waiting in Kyiv to hear their report.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
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Emails included in the files show Andrew sent details of his official trade envoy trips in Singapore, Vietnam, Shenzhen in China and Hong Kong to Epstein in 2010.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The texts date from when Lajčák was Slovakia's foreign minister in 2018.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
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Kenya will press Russia for answers after reports emerged that its citizens are being recruited to fight in Ukraine, the country’s foreign minister said.—
Ashley Carnahan,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Groft’s attorneys in November expressed doubt as to his mental competency, but a judge deemed Groft competent after an evaluation.—
Grace Toohey,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Feb. 2026
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Simpson's defense attorneys and prosecutors with the state paint two very different pictures of Kendrick Simpson.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plenipotentiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plenipotentiary. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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