Nestor

noun

Nes·​tor ˈne-stər 

-ˌstȯr

1

: a king of Pylos who serves in his old age as a counselor to the Greeks at Troy

2

often not capitalized : one who is a patriarch or leader in a field

Did you know?

Nestor was another character from the Iliad, the eldest of the Greek leaders in the Trojan War. A great warrior as a young man, he was now noted for his wisdom and his talkativeness, both of which increased as he aged. These days, a nestor is not necessarily long-winded, but merely wise and generous with his advice.

Synonyms

• dean
• doyen
• elder
• elder statesman
• éminence grise
• senior

Examples of Nestor in a Sentence

as the grizzled nestor of American film critics, he greatly influences what other reviewers write

Recent Examples on the Web

Even worse, newcomer Nestor Cortes lasted only two starts before joining the walking wounded. —Tony Blengino, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025

The names in the 2025 hurricane season are Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dexter, Erin, Fernand, Gabrielle, Humberto, Imelda, Jerry, Karen, Lorenzo, Melissa, Nestor, Olga, Pablo, Rebekah, Sebastien, Tanya, Van, and Wendy, according to the National Hurricane Center. —Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 9 June 2025

Scott was referring to the Yankees’ December deal with the Brewers that sent Williams to New York and Nestor Cortes and Caleb Durbin to Milwaukee. —Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 1 June 2025

List of 2025 hurricane names Andrea Barry Chantal Dexter Erin Fernand Gabrielle Humberto Imelda Jerry Karen Lorenzo Melissa Nestor Olga Pablo Rebekah Sebastien Tanya Van Wendy The list is one of six that are rotated every year, meaning this list was last used in 2019 and will be used again in 2031. —/ Cbs News, CBS News, 1 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek Nestōr

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Nestor

• ester
• esther
• fester
• jester
• nester
• pester
• prester
• quaestor
• tester
• wester
• yester
• ancestor