ambassador

noun

am·​bas·​sa·​dor am-ˈba-sə-dər 

əm-,

im-,

-ˌdȯr,

-ˈbas-dər

1

: an official envoy

especially : a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative of his or her own government or sovereign or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment

She's the American ambassador to Italy.

2

a

: an authorized representative or messenger

b

: an unofficial representative

traveling abroad as ambassadors of goodwill

ambassadorial

am-ˌba-sə-ˈdȯr-ē-əl 

əm-

im-

adjective

ambassadorship

am-ˈba-sə-dər-ˌship 

əm-

im-

-ˌdȯr-

-ˈbas-dər-

noun

Synonyms

• agent
• delegate
• emissary
• envoy
• legate
• minister
• representative

Examples of ambassador in a Sentence

Embassy officials met with the ambassador.

a beloved entertainer who has often been sent abroad by the president as his country's goodwill ambassador

Recent Examples on the Web

Johnson, not to be confused with the Republican Wisconsin senator of the same name, has resided in Florida since stepping down as ambassador to El Salvador at the end of the first Trump administration. —Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024

What To Know In a Truth Social post announcing Ken Howery as his choice for ambassador to Denmark, which controls the territory of Greenland, Trump restated his goal of bringing the area under U.S. control. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024

Ambassador To Mexico: Ronald Johnson Trump appointed Ronald Johnson, a former CIA official and ambassador to El Salvador during Trump’s first term, as ambassador to Mexico, a key role in carrying out Trump’s immigration policies. —Sara Dorn, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024

Then there is the service Sharpe has performed as an ambassador for Hall of Fame Health. —Scott Talley, Detroit Free Press, 22 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ambassatour, ambassiatour "diplomatic emissary, envoy, messenger," borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French ambaxiatour, ambassatour (continental Middle French also embassator, ambassadeur), borrowed from Medieval Latin ambasciātor, ambassātor, from ambiasciāre "to communicate, send a message, send an envoy" (derivative of Late Latin ambascia, ambassia "mission, errand, task, journey") + Latin -tor, agent suffix — more at embassy

Note: The current form of the word with -d-, which becomes common in early Modern English, is dependent on Middle French (and French) ambassadeur, borrowed from Italian ambasciatore, probably borrowed from Old Occitan ambayssador. Regarding the variation between initial am- and em-, see the note at embassy. As the Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, remarks, the form embassador was frequent in early Modern English, up to ca. 1700, and sporadic thereafter; the prevalence of the am- form is probably due at least in part to the influence of French ambassadeur. Though ambassador was apparently always more common in American English, Noah Webster preferred embassador, as he notes at the entry for ambassador in An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828): "This is the more common orthography; but good authors write also embassador; and as the orthography of embassy is established, it would be better to write embassador."

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ambassador

• ambassador-at-large
• goodwill ambassador

Kids Definition

ambassador

noun

am·​bas·​sa·​dor am-ˈbas-əd-ər 

əm-,

-ˈbas-ə-dȯ(ə)r

1

: a person sent as the chief representative of his or her own government in another country

2

: an official representative or messenger

ambassadorial

(ˌ)am-ˌbas-ə-ˈdōr-ē-əl 

-ˌdȯr-

əm-

adjective

ambassadorship

am-ˈbas-əd-ər-ˌship 

əm-

noun