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
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
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
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
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
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
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
-
Police and fire rescue experts say this is also serves a reminder to always wear personal flotation devices in and around rivers, creeks, ditches and lakes.—
Dillon Thomas,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
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But despite this, experts say the lack of AI play is not the main reason why global investors are exiting India.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
Noun
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The hotel offers an exclusive excursion to the nearby home of the late master perfumer Serge Lutens, which is not open to the public and does not allow photos.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
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Judith graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from the Ohio State University and later earned a master’s degree at Northwestern University.—
Rick Kogan,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2026
Noun
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The facility's revelation came less than two years after North Korea unveiled another covert uranium-enrichment plant in September 2024, in its first public disclosure of such a facility since showing one at the country’s main Yongbyon nuclear complex to visiting American scholars in 2010.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 June 2026
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Other speakers include composer and educator Scott Keever, relational coach and writer Jennifer Luciani and scholar and writer Martin Law.—
Hannah Brueske,
Twin Cities,
2 June 2026
Noun
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Tech pioneer adept at shifting gears Atom Power was co-founded in 2015 by Kouroussis and Ryan Kennedy as a UNC Charlotte incubator, a project that started at the college before spinning off its own company and moving to the Lake Norman area.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Mar. 2026
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Meanwhile, Alouette has become an adept of dye recipes.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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At the same time, fencing is also touting is status as an Ivy League favorite, a discipline that has historically appealed to artists and egghead-y types including engineers, architects, finance and technical wizards, as well as artists.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
28 May 2026
-
Warm up those wands, wizards, because the world of Harry Potter is hoping to cast a marketing spell over the metro area this summer.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
27 May 2026
Noun
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The guitar virtuoso died days before his 100th birthday.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 June 2026
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Considered to be a virtuoso in the genre, Negri began playing guitar at age 8 and taught jazz guitar for 50 years at the University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne, and Carnegie Mellon University, according to KDKA-TV.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
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What had been a book about Catholic-facing artists became a book about crypto-religious ones.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
-
Buddhist, recently widowed, and a successful artist, Rose is ditsy and rather eccentric, but is grounded by a 13-year-old step-granddaughter.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
The lineup was stacked and Arteaga, a pitching guru, should have been able to sort things out on the mound even if the group was practically starting from scratch — a more common phenomenon now with the transfer portal.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
1 June 2026
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Hijra women live collectively, in households organised around the relationship between a guru (elder) and chela (younger member).—
Vogue,
Vogue,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Past master.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/past%20master. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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