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
-
Djokovic evolved into a tennis legend and is now one of the sport’s elder statesmen.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Alongside the younger performers, Jacobson includes cameos from elder statesmen like the writer Richard Price, whose 2008 novel Lush Life was an ode to the Lower East Side, and Oscar-winning screenwriter Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, Dune), who spends the whole movie on a bed watching reruns of Kung Fu.—
Jordan Mintzer,
The Hollywood Reporter,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Air Force veteran Mark Mendon of Blue Springs, Missouri, showed up to lend his support to the Satanic Grotto’s cause.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Citadel stars Game of Thrones veteran Richard Madden and Quantico’s Priyanka Chopra as elite spy agents who had their memories wiped years ago after encountering a shadowy syndicate known as Manticore.—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
At Indiana University, Fred worked for the dean of economics to earn his way through school.—
Steven P. Dinkin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Mar. 2025
-
When she was named dean of the University of Tulsa’s business school in 2021, Taylor put her varied background to work launching entrepreneurship initiatives for Cherokee woman.—
Andrea Riquier,
USA TODAY,
9 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
There’s a lot going on in your 40s: raising a family, paying a mortgage, shuttling kids to and from activities, caring for elders—all while working.—
Lina Storm,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Wilmore, an elder in his Baptist church, is excited to resume face-to-face ministry and enjoy the scent of fresh-cut grass.—
Amanda Castro,
Newsweek,
18 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“éminence grise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/%C3%A9minence%20grise. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
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