as in elder statesman
the senior member of a group
the revered éminence grise of Civil War historians
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Recent Examples of éminence grise
But none have matched JPMorgan, which, under the leadership of Wall Street’s eminence grise Jamie Dimon, has thrived.
—
Paolo Confino, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2024
Belafonte was 57, an eminence grise in entertainment, and his participation motivated lots of artists who admired him.
—Rob Tannenbaum, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2024
Federer serving in the Sinatra/Clooney part as the eminence grise.
—Jason Gay, WSJ, 24 Sep. 2022
That emotionally astute author, the eminence grise, the institutional memory.
—Washington Post, 29 Dec. 2021
Matthews is an eminence grise of television news, his pugilistic and red-cheeked persona familiar to viewers from countless election nights.
—BostonGlobe.com, 2 Mar. 2020
In the world of the candle obsessed, Diptyque is the eminence grise.
—Kathleen Hou, The Cut, 16 Jan. 2018
Paolo Confino, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2024
Belafonte was 57, an eminence grise in entertainment, and his participation motivated lots of artists who admired him.
—Rob Tannenbaum, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2024
Federer serving in the Sinatra/Clooney part as the eminence grise.
—Jason Gay, WSJ, 24 Sep. 2022
That emotionally astute author, the eminence grise, the institutional memory.
—Washington Post, 29 Dec. 2021
Matthews is an eminence grise of television news, his pugilistic and red-cheeked persona familiar to viewers from countless election nights.
—BostonGlobe.com, 2 Mar. 2020
In the world of the candle obsessed, Diptyque is the eminence grise.
—Kathleen Hou, The Cut, 16 Jan. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for éminence grise
Noun
-
The Celtics’ elder statesmen are up for a pair of end-of-season NBA awards.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
2 Apr. 2025
-
With Federer, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams retired and Andy Murray now on Djokovic’s coaching team, the Serbian great is the last remaining legend on tour and the sport’s elder statesman.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The team parted ways with head coach Antonio Pierce and brought in veteran Pete Carroll to steer the ship.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Drake Baldwin thriving in role Rookie catcher Drake Baldwin’s role has been reduced since veteran Sean Murphy returned from the injured list, but Baldwin is excelling in his opportunities to catch a couple of times a week and also DH or pinch hit occasionally.—
David O'Brien,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Cardinal Giovanni Battista, the dean of the College of Cardinals, will lead the proceedings.—
George Petras,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Some deans have even been chosen as pope, including Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005.—
Bill Chappell,
NPR,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
This diminishing of the sandwich generation’s own financial security could have very far reaching effects, not only for their own retirement plans down the road but for their own children as well, the legacy of the family elders who need long term care.—
Carolyn Rosenblatt,
Forbes.com,
16 Apr. 2025
-
The survey revealed Gen Z plans to embrace a more traditional mindset than their millennial elders in many ways.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“éminence grise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/%C3%A9minence%20grise. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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