as in expert
a person with a high level of knowledge or skill in a field
a movie director who was widely regarded as the past master of suspense
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Recent Examples of past master
There is a certainty to her sentences that sets her alongside past masters (your William Trevors, your Anton Chekhovs) and a singular beauty to her observations.
—
Tomi Obaro, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024
Coppola, a past master at directing actors, allows his performers – who include Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Aubrey Plaza, and Nathalie Emmanuel – to shamelessly ham it up.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Sep. 2024
And he is positioned as the chief foreign luminary at the festival’s anniversary tribute to past master Ozu Yasujiro.
—Mark Schilling, Variety, 23 Oct. 2023
The fact that the company is designing a standalone robotaxi speaks to its failures in executing past master plans.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 28 Feb. 2023
Wonder, a past master of love songs, makes a demand that tests the output of every contemporary pop singer and every jaded fan.
—Armond White, National Review, 25 Nov. 2020
Does this past master of starting crazes see the Reddit phenomenon as a long-overdue democratization of the stock market, or a frenzy detached from the fundamentals of investing?
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2021
The locked-room mystery—not just a whodunnit but a how-done-it—pays homage to past masters such as John Dickson Carr and Gaston Leroux.
—The Economist, 18 Dec. 2019
When the ensemble made its first national tour, playing Orchestra Hall in September 1992, Marsalis and friends were trying to show that America needed a world-class jazz orchestra that could honor past masters while forging future ones.
—Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, 16 Nov. 2019
Tomi Obaro, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024
Coppola, a past master at directing actors, allows his performers – who include Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Aubrey Plaza, and Nathalie Emmanuel – to shamelessly ham it up.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Sep. 2024
And he is positioned as the chief foreign luminary at the festival’s anniversary tribute to past master Ozu Yasujiro.
—Mark Schilling, Variety, 23 Oct. 2023
The fact that the company is designing a standalone robotaxi speaks to its failures in executing past master plans.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 28 Feb. 2023
Wonder, a past master of love songs, makes a demand that tests the output of every contemporary pop singer and every jaded fan.
—Armond White, National Review, 25 Nov. 2020
Does this past master of starting crazes see the Reddit phenomenon as a long-overdue democratization of the stock market, or a frenzy detached from the fundamentals of investing?
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2021
The locked-room mystery—not just a whodunnit but a how-done-it—pays homage to past masters such as John Dickson Carr and Gaston Leroux.
—The Economist, 18 Dec. 2019
When the ensemble made its first national tour, playing Orchestra Hall in September 1992, Marsalis and friends were trying to show that America needed a world-class jazz orchestra that could honor past masters while forging future ones.
—Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, 16 Nov. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for past master
Noun
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Unlike consulting, where an expert provides recommendations, coaching ensures that leaders develop the capability to solve problems independently and sustain long-term growth.—
Gamze Acar Bayraktaroglu,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
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Every tax article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of tax products.—
Brian Sloan,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
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This was just the beginning of how young tech masters worked on ways to share music across the internet.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
20 Mar. 2025
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Setting up trekking pole tents takes a little practice to master, but Lanshan’s convenient hook system makes the process easy.—
Alice Bennett,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Newsweek has reached out to several legal scholars for comment via email on Sunday.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
16 Mar. 2025
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Her fate remains one of literature’s most haunting unsolved mysteries, drawing the fascination of scholars, writers and literary enthusiasts.—
Patti Callahan Henry,
People.com,
16 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
See, the people behind the martech need to be wizards a bit, too.—
Barbara Puszkiewicz-Cimino,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
-
The new wands, now on sale, come with the ability to be personalized with a wizard name, lead to exclusive adventures and build House Points, a daily competition among Hogwarts’ wizards.—
Dewayne Bevil,
Orlando Sentinel,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Perhaps Sheridan’s greatest magic trick occurs on Landman, where the adept acting of Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Hamm make the case that Thornton’s oil-field fixer and Hamm’s billionaire are the true American martyrs.—
Stephen Rodrick,
Rolling Stone,
9 Mar. 2025
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Around him, dense as a swarm of tiny insects, float tiny images of fellow adepts engaged in all manner of outré shenanigans.—
Holland Cotter,
New York Times,
26 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The virtuoso made his solo stage debut at Lollapalooza Hobipalooza on July 31, 2022 an hour-long showcase of his skills as a seasoned entertainer, performing tracks from Jack in the Box, his mixtape Hope World, and various BTS albums.—
Zoe Guy,
Vulture,
1 Mar. 2025
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Starr is also accompanied by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Brenda Lee (whose career predates the Beatles) and contemporary bluegrass virtuoso Tuttle.—
Ilana Kaplan,
People.com,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The set is the standalone remixed, reworked version of Brat, where every tune is turned into a collaboration with another artist.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
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The concept: New artists created works reimagining the museum as a living, breathing witness to history.—
Isaac Avilucea,
Axios,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Its dominance of ball control and pressing has translated into advantages of 40-14 in shot-creating actions and 54-18 in touches in the attacking penalty area – dominance no MLS guru outside SDFC would’ve forecast.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Mar. 2025
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Few are more equipped to determine if Smith is ready to handle the rigors of major-league life than Brown, a draft guru who may have another reason to consider carrying Smith on Opening Day.—
Chandler Rome,
The Athletic,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Past master.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/past%20master. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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