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 tour, which paired pop-punk’s elder statesmen with its ascendant newcomers, saw Blink-182 closing each night, despite Green Day being the band Hoppus idolized growing up.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
20 May 2025
-
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
Noun
-
With Jarrett and the rookie Turner entering the rotation with Dexter and returning veteran tackles Chris Williams, Zacch Pickens and Jonathan Ford, the Bears have created some healthy competition at defensive tackle.—
Sean Hammond,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2025
-
In addition to the soldiers who died at Camp Sumter, Andersonville National Cemetery is also the final resting place for thousands of service members from just about every U.S. conflict, not all of whom were prisoners of war but all of whom are veterans.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
27 May 2025
Noun
-
National Dems boost Moore’s budget message; state Dems focus on Hogan Johns Hopkins selects new dean of public health after global search READER POLL: Who gave the best commencement speech?—
Karl Merton Ferron,
Baltimore Sun,
29 May 2025
-
In addition to investigating allegations of drinking with students, Hiestand was tasked with investigating claims of harassment between two parties: the coaches and deans accused of partying with students and a teacher who reported them.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
Douglas is beguiling enough with her humorous, spunky performance, and MacCormac capably keeps up with her; Will Sasso and Kevin Durand are welcome supporting players as a few of the oddly aggressive town elders.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
9 May 2025
-
Charlotte glanced toward her elders before offering a final wave.—
Janine Henni,
People.com,
5 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“éminence grise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/%C3%A9minence%20grise. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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