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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Self-love and relationship expert Iryna Wood is redefining romance with an innovative mobile app that puts emotional awareness at the forefront.—
Emma Kershaw,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
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Some North Texas sectors will feel the burn more than others, experts say.—
Jaime Moore-Carrillo,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
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What makes a painting by a master so much better than a really good fake?—
The Editors of ARTnews,
ARTnews.com,
1 Apr. 2025
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Degree requirement: bachelor’s degree in information technology, engineering, computer science or business management; preference for MBA or a master’s degree in technology management.—
Terina Allen,
Forbes.com,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Legal scholars have said there is little legal precedent for Trump's war on Big Law, which has created a chilling effect across the legal community, and most will certainly have a chilling effect on his opponents who will need legal representation against him.—
Alexander Mallin,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2025
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On top of that, the Trump administration has detained some international scholars who have expressed support for Palestinian causes or criticized Israel over the war in Gaza.—
Tinbete Ermyas,
NPR,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Can your brain be trained to become a chart-predicting wizard?—
Dividend Channel,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
-
See It, Feel It, Buy It Six years after The Who released Tommy, the British rockers followed it with a 1975 film starring Roger Daltrey as the titular pinball wizard.—
Joe Lynch,
Billboard,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The younger Aes Sedai adept is busy learning the ways of walking in Tel’aran’rhiod, the dreamworld overlaid atop the real one and parallel to the regular, non-magical dreams most people experience.—
Sean T. Collins,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2025
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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
Noun
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From there, the brothers rope in a boozy harmonica virtuoso named Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo), who only accepts the gig after the brothers agree to pay him in Irish beer.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2025
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Throughout, he’s depicted as an anxious man with big feelings, a musical virtuoso whose shame, self-esteem and addiction issues were spawned as a young child bearing witness to domestic disputes.—
Derek Scancarelli,
Forbes,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Living beyond one’s means is, in its way, the artist’s majestic revenge against the rich.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2025
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The concert set was divided into five parts, each with its themes and moods, telling the story of the artist’s journey.—
Laura Sirikul,
Forbes.com,
6 Apr. 2025
Noun
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He’s got long arms (33 1/2″), big hands (9 7/8″) and a prototype frame (6-4, 315) that’d give offensive line guru Jeff Stoutland plenty to work with.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
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Among them: entrepreneurs, tech founders, cosmetic gurus, investors and heirs.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Past master.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/past%20master. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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